Turn down your thermostat. Yes, it might feel frigid outside, and inside without the furnace on, it could be about as warm as a poorly made igloo. But there’s a way to stay cozy while saving some cash in this economy: Rethink the electric blanket.
No longer the hazards the ones at Grandma’s house were — such obvious coils! — today’s electric blankets are safer and more energy efficient. Using an electric blanket or electric mattress pad and turning down the thermostat 10 to 15 percent for eight hours at night could save as much as 10 percent a year on home energy bills, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. The home and garden staff at Consumer Reports magazine estimates this to be a net savings of $150 to $175 a year on average.
Sure, such blankets and mattress pads use energy, but nowhere near the amount needed to heat a home. “People are looking for alternative ways to stay warm,” says Michele Casper, director of public relations for Lands’ End. “One of the easiest things to do is go back to that idea of the electric blanket.”
The old electric blankets had two settings: on and off. Now, the options on the market from such manufacturers as Lands’ End, Sunbeam and Therapedic offer many safety features and conveniences: low-voltage wires, multiple heat settings, timers and an automatic shut-off, in case you get up and forget to turn the blanket off. Some also have thin wires and are cushioned with an inner liner. “It’s not the feeling of wires laying on your body,” Casper says.
Many of these innovations were developed as Underwriters Laboratories, an independent product-safety testing organization, came up with stricter safety standards for electric blankets, including warnings on the instructions. “Some safety instructions that UL mandates tell you what kind of accidents have occurred over the years,” says John Drengenberg, a manager for consumer affairs at UL. One blanket innovation that’s purely for pleasure, however, is a queen- or king-size blanket that has two heating zones, one for each partner in bed to control.
The last major recalls of electric blankets were from 2001 to 2003, says Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. “In recent years we have not seen defects with electric blankets that have risen to a level of a recall,” he says.
Wolfson recommends placing electric blankets on top of other layers and smoothing out folds to prevent wire kinks. He also discourages using a heated blanket or mattress pad for hours on end. For added safety, clean it properly and replace it if there is excessive wear and tear. And make sure that blanket has a UL symbol on it, which means it has gone through rigorous testing.
Alan Graham, a community liaison who fosters discussions for Discovery Channel’s Planet Green and TreeHugger Web sites, has been convinced of the electric mattress pad’s merits since the winter of 2002. He lived in Virginia in a two-story brick house built in the 1950s, and he couldn’t keep cold air out or heating bills down. After a $400 natural gas bill, Graham bought an electric mattress pad. “With some experimentation, we were able to drop 14 to 15 degrees of heat off . . . for eight to 10 hours at night, which eventually saved us hundreds of dollars,” he says.
Now living in a new, well-insulated house in Portland, Ore., Graham still uses his electric mattress pad. “While my initial decision may have been to save money, I also know that at night, when I’m sleeping, I’m also helping the environment,” he says.
And there is a third benefit: “As an indulgence, there is nothing better than crawling into a warm cocoon and never getting a chill through the night,” Graham says. “The bad side is that I never want to get out in the morning.”
