Dreamland Relaxwell Luxury Heated Throw Review: Does it save money?

With energy prices at all time high, reducing the amount of energy we use has never been as important as now. However it’s still important to keep warm during the colder winter months, without having to worry about our energy bills. I have to say, I’m already dreading the energy price cap increase in April, which Ofgem has announced. Unfortunately there are no 1p per hour electric heaters, but thankfully there are very economical alternatives. The cheaper heating option would be an electric blanket or a heated throw.

Electric blankets and throws have become a very popular accessory to keep us toasty the past few years. There are so many types to choose from, such as electric overblankets, heated throws and electric underblankets. With so much choice, it’s good to know that each has more or less similar functions and characteristics.

Why I bought a heated throw?

Several years ago when I’ve first moved out from my parents home and entered “the real world”, I was living on a very tight budget. I was worried to turn on the heating to keep my daughter and myself warm during the winter months, as heating bills during the colder months can be very high. So I was doing some research on alternative ways to keep warm at a very low cost. I found 30 amazing ways to keep warm and keep gas and electric cost down at the same time. One of the things I found help save a lot of money during the colder months is the use of a heated blanket.

Before I’ve bought my black Dreamland Relaxwell Luxury Heated Throw, I’ve done a lot of research on electric blankets. Though most are similar they do differ in many ways. It’s important to me that the electric throw or blanket is washable, very economical to use, safe to use, has a timer and different heat settings.

Though electric blankets and heated throws work pretty much the same, I opted for a throw instead of the blanket. This is because most electric blankets are placed on to the mattress, where as I wanted something I could use to keep warm in bed and on the sofa when watching TV or reading a book. I also regularly use the the Dreamland Relaxwell Luxury Heated Throw to keep me warm as I’m sat in the office working. I’m actually using it right now, as I’m writing this article. I just find an electric throw would get used a lot more around the home.

How much does it cost to run the Dreamland heated throw?

According to the manufacturer Dreamland Relaxwell Luxury Heated Throw uses 150 watts. 150 watts is pretty much an average for a heated throw. This would be on the highest setting i.e for the fast heat up function or on number 5. The fast heat up function allows the throw to heat up in just 5 minutes. I always use the fast heat function to for the first 5 minutes to get the throw warm, then switch to heat setting 3. On very cold days I use the heat setting 4 or 5. The lower the heat setting the less energy this throw will use. I’m guessing on setting number 3 it would use about half of the maximum the energy it consumes. This would be about 70 watts on heat level 3.

Are Dreamland blankets cheap to run?

Dreamland says: “All Dreamland blankets are extremely low to run, and cost from as little as 1p per night. So it’s worth investing in an electric blanket and turning your central heating off”. Of course it also depends on the cost of electricity our energy supplier is charging us per unit. About 6 years ago, when I bought the Dreamland Relaxwell Luxury Heated Throw, my electricity cost me only 12.5p per kwh. However today my electric cost me 20.49p per kWh.

Based on my electric price 6 year ago, it only cost me 1.8 pence per hour on the highest heat setting (5). Since I mainly used heated blanket on heat setting 3, I’m guessing it uses about 70 watts per hour. Based on this estimation it would have cost me about 0.875p per hour. So for 9 hours of use at heat level 3 it would have cost me approximately 7.9 pence.

Now based on my current electricity cost at 20.49p per kWh, it cost me 3p per hour on the highest heat setting, 5. On heat level 3 it currently costs me about 1.43 pence per hour. Therefore for 9 hours of use on level 3 heat setting, it’s costing me approximately 13p.

According to Checkatrade, to use gas central heating using a 24kW boiler costs on average £1.12 per hour. If we use gas central heating for 9 hours that would then on average cost us £10.08. As you can see, to keep myself warm with the electric blanket only cost me 13p per 9 hour night. This is approximately a £9.95 difference per night.

Can electric blankets be washed ?

Most electric blankets now can be washed, but I recommend you check with the manufacture of the electric blanket you wish to purchase. All Dreamland electric blankets and heated throws can be machine washed and tumble dried. Before putting your electric blanket into the wash, make sure you’ve detached the cable with control.

Are electric blankets worth it?

Since it helps me save nearly £10 per night, I believe buying a heated throw or electric blanket is totally worth it! This particular electric blanket is very cheap to run. I’ve washed the throw a few times and has washed well and not changed in size or effectiveness. I also love the fact you can set a timer for 1 hour or 9 hours. The newer model of this blanket now has also got a 3 hour time on the control.

My daughter has taken the Dreamland Relaxwell Luxury Heated Throw to keep herself warm during the cold nights. Hence I’ve just bought myself a king sized Dreamland Harmony Super Soft Heated Electric Overblanket. I was very impressed with the heated throw from Dreamland as it is still working perfectly fine after 6 years of use and is still saving me so much money. I’ve invested in the king sized electric blanket for my bedroom, as I expect it to perform as well as the heated throw.

Another reason why I went for this large electric blanket is the fact it has dual controls. I often get hot in the night, where as my other half feels cold so the Dreamland Harmony Super Soft Heated Electric Overblanket is perfect for us. It keeps him warm and me cool, as it’s like having 2 electric blankets in one big one. Now if Yasmin, Oliver and I are all using the heated blanket for 9 hours, it would cost me 39 pence per night based on my current energy cost per kWh. This is still roughly a £9.69 difference per night that I’m saving when the heating has been turned off and all 3 of us use the heated blankets.