U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
Appliances Rates by state Compare Calculators Reports Methodology About

Side-by-side running cost

Space Heater vs Electric Blanket: Which Costs Less to Run?

The short answer

Per hour of use, an electric blanket ($0.02/hr) costs about 93% less to run than a space heater ($0.27/hr) at the US average rate of 18.3¢/kWh. At typical use (8 hours a day vs 8 hours a day), that’s $66.84 vs $4.46 a month.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Space Heater

Typical power
1,500W
Per hour
$0.27
Per month
$66.84
Per year
$802
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full space heater breakdown
Cheaper to run

Electric Blanket

Typical power
100W
Per hour
$0.02
Per month
$4.46
Per year
$53.47
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full electric blanket breakdown

Space Heater vs Electric Blanket in the 10 largest states

Monthly cost at typical use and each state’s average residential rate.

StateSpace HeaterElectric BlanketDifference
California $123 $8.18 $115
Texas $57.97 $3.86 $54.10
Florida $54.87 $3.66 $51.21
New York $109 $7.28 $102
Pennsylvania $79.29 $5.29 $74.00
Illinois $70.16 $4.68 $65.48
Ohio $71.00 $4.73 $66.27
Georgia $59.39 $3.96 $55.43
North Carolina $55.34 $3.69 $51.65
Michigan $84.14 $5.61 $78.53

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is a space heater cheaper to run than an electric blanket?

Per hour of use, an electric blanket ($0.02/hr) costs about 93% less to run than a space heater ($0.27/hr) at the US average rate of 18.3¢/kWh. At typical use (8 hours a day vs 8 hours a day), that’s $66.84 vs $4.46 a month.

How much power does a space heater use compared with an electric blanket?

A space heater typically draws 1,500W, while an electric blanket draws about 100W.

More comparisons

Sources & method