Why electric blankets are a hot buy and our top choices

Whether you're working from home or taking to the bed for some me-time, electric blankets are in demand this winter 

Bed or office chair, Imetex throws are equipped with Adapto patented technology ensuring fast heating, constant temperature control and maximum safety. 120cm x 160cm. From €89, Harvey Norman.

AS THE energy crisis claws at the front door, winter’s oncoming chill is proving genuinely intimidating. Presuming you have had the central heating system serviced, have insulated your home to the limits of your budget, and know how to trim your heating controls, there’s one simple weapon that’s a snug winner — the electric blanket.

Before we get too cosy, let’s explore the controversy around extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (ELF-EMF). Are electric blankets bad for your health? There is no current, conclusive, proven, peer-reviewed scientific research proving a link between ELF-EMF and ill-health, even with a lifetime of use of electric blankets.

This Harmony Over-blanket includes a retro satin trim, dual-controls for doubles to super-kings, and 'intelligent-heat' technology which monitors and responds to your own body temperature. From €89-€179, very.ie.

There are people who firmly believe they are sensitive to unseen, environmental conditions, including the ELF-EMF created by a range of electronic devices including electric blankets, mobile phones and even wi-fi routers. There is ambient, background ELF-EMF all over a standard family home.

Still, ELF-EMF can only be generated when a device is plugged into the wall (there is a trace amount of residual ELF-EMF for some minutes after leaving the socket).

If you’re troubled by the idea of ELF-EMF, you could still enjoy an electric blanket or shrug for a long period, having turned it off and unplugged it before climbing aboard.

SLEEP CYCLES

We sleep, Norwegian-style, with the windows open, all year round, under two feather duvets. Once immersed in wonderland, I prefer (instinctively) to unplug my blanket. A dip in your core temperature is nature’s way of sending you off to the deeply refreshing REM sleep cycle (rather than disruptive slow-wave sleep), and it starts a couple of hours before you even get into bed.

Under-blankets retain heat under the covers better than over-blankets, so combined with a duvet, your body regulates the warmth.

According to the Sleep Foundation, your bedroom should be draught-free and remain in the area of 18.3C and 19.4C — warmer if you have a medical condition that demands it.

Electric blankets are not recommended for anyone with a degree of neuropathy (nerve damage) or any condition affecting the circulation or temperature control in the body (Parkinson’s, for instance).

Also avoid them where cognitive abilities in an individual might make them less physically sensitive to heat.

This includes the elderly, young children, those with diabetes, and anyone suffering from any of the many forms of dementia.

CHECK-LIST

Always buy a blanket with auto shut-off and overheat-protection, as at some point you will fall asleep on it or under it, and most blankets are not intended as all-nighters. Older blankets with kinked cabling and failing controls are an acknowledged and dangerous fire hazard.

This is one of those items that is a complete no-no second-hand, and both Slumberdown and Silentnight advise to replace even a working blanket once it has reached the 10-year mark.

TOG VALUE

Physically, the tog value of an electric over-blanket will make it function as a standard blanket when off, holding the heat to your body.

Some users will find the weight of a heated over-blanket deeply emotionally comforting. Snuggle down under a standard variety before going to a heated blanket at all, and ensure its convenient to carry if you want to drag a throw to the sofa.

The texture of an under-blanket in a rich micro-fleece under a bottom sheet will hold pockets of warm air up against your skin, making them feel double warm and inviting even when off. In a super-soft quality fabric, you will sense the quality through the sheet.

Attaching your under-blanket, a full skirt or thick elastic bands are a sign of better quality. SilentNight Easi-Heat from €62 for a single, multiple suppliers.

A thin under-blanket will be unnervingly wiry, and even quite expensive blankets can ripple with cabling. Pop the box and get your hands on the texture of those elements.

Check the sizings in centimetres, not the declared bed size. We want an under-blanket to run right to the edge of the mattress, without going over it. Attaching the blanket, elastic corners or a dedicated full elastic edge are preferable to the toothfloss offered by budget blankets with a nautical arrangement of ties and eyes, that demand you hold the mattress in your teeth while winding it on.

Look for models that serve as indulgent mattress toppers. Any blanket, throw or duvet you buy should be capable of a machine wash at 30C-40C. This is bedding after all. Some, but not all, will tumble dry without damage — check the specs.

Once activated, in terms of distribution, better under-blankets will offer zoned control for two sleepers, and will heat up in as little as five minutes, with between three and nine heat settings and a timer, spreading the heat evenly, across the mattress from your torso to your toes.

Some models react to the addition of your body heat, and can be set to send heat to your feet.

Dreamland blankets, for instance, check the temperature of your bed an astonishing 25 times a second (pad models from €49.99, Argos) LED lights on the controls are very handy for tickling up or down the temperature in the dark without disturbing your partner.

QUALITY

A cheaper blanket will heat up reasonably well, but once you’re in there and pressing a hip down into the bed, you can expect low temperatures or searing hot-spots and due to less cabling — frigid, unheated edges to the pad if you thrash.

Temperature cross-over is common in budget zoned under-blankets, with inaccurate temperature settings reported by reviewers.

If you’re working from home and using a heated throw, sitting upright and shifting position, you’re less likely to spot unevenness in the heat generated by the blanket.

Hot choices for a practical, affordable, yet luxurious night’s sleep? Layered under you and your bedding, under-blankets offer superior heat retention. SilentNight is synonymous with half a century of quality electric blankets and its Easi-heat with its tough elastic corners, a choice of single or dual-controls, and super-soft micro-fleece is my favourite.

The firm offers various fleece depths, which again, deliver passive, thermal talents.

This blanket is also compatible with memory foam (spoiler alert, this is not true of all on-mattress blankets). Memory foam mattresses and toppers are intended to mould to your body, something not fully possible with a very thick under-blanket. Comfort Control SilentNight blankets, from €40 for a single, multiple suppliers.

Next up is the Perfectly Warm Electric (under) Blanket from Slumberdown. This has a number of bewitching features including nine heating settings, an extra foot-warmth mode, and a removable comfort cover with sumptuous quilting to perk up a jaded mattress; €65 for a double at Argos.

For anyone who prefers sheets and blankets over a duvet, The Dreamland Intelliheat Harmony Over-blanket includes a retro’ satin trim, dual-controls for doubles to super-kings, and “Intelligent-heat” technology which monitors and responds to your own body temperature; from €89-€179, very.ie

With over-blankets, rather than putting them under a very high-tog duvet where they can overheat, put them inside a duvet case and wear them as your outer layer.

Always follow the maker’s instructions as over-blankets are not intended to go under the
body and have very specific uses with only some amenable to being tucked under duvets. Don’t slip them under your fitted sheet as they are not engineered for this, and could easily overheat.