Best electric mattress pads according to redditors

An electric mattress pad works better than a blanket. Use in conjunction with a down comforter and you'll be toasty warm.

You would be better off buying a down blanket to keep you warm at night. They come in various thicknesses, so make sure you get a nice one.


I don't think you will ever find an electric blanket that last forever. By it's very nature (being electronic) it will eventually break. If you must buy one, I would stick with a Sunbeam. I prefer a mattress pad over a blanket since heat rises and the shock of a cold mattress sucks.


Some people still use the hot water bottles/bladders. I imagine they last a very long time.

They aren't cheap, but a good one will last you a long time and save you a bundle.

I actually recommend a heated mattress pad versus a blanket, because the heat will rise through and warm your sheets but get trapped by your comforter - keeping the heat next to you. I have the queen size version of this one and it is amazing. It helped me survive winter at school when we had the thermostat at 58 almost all the time. It makes enough heat that just sitting in bed was really comfy, so I would end up doing all of my homework in bed.

When I lived in my smallish 1 bedroom apartment I kept the thermostat at 72 or 73. When I moved into my 2 bedroom condo with tall ceilings I set it down to 65 or 67. At night I'll let it hit 60. I also bought one of these for sleeping. Highly recommend.

Honestly....I got used to it really quick. Without a sweater too. 67 feels rather warm now, and 60-63 is where I start to get chilly.

My what a $500 electric bill will make you tolerate.....

Space heater

Wood stove

Electric blanket

Also, I got one of these, an electric mattress pad and my wife fuckin' LOVES it.

Ever gotten into a bed with really cold sheets? Yeah not us anymore.

Snack foods like granola bars and mixed nuts - keep the internal furnace going.

The best thing on my bed is my heated mattress pad. I used to get into bed in the winter and shiver and ache and now I slide into a warm bed that makes my aches feel much better. I shower before bed so I turn it up on high before I get in the shower then turn it down much lower for the night. http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00N2OD59Y <== The one I got. I have a temperpedic and it works fine with the the pad, even though the temper things warn not to use heat stuff with it.

As to pillows, I sleep best with 3 basically making a U around me. And I do notice my sheets make a difference. I prefer sateen cotton because it's silky smooth with no scratchiness.

If your house is anything like mine, I'd guess it will be in the upper 40s in the morning.

Get yourself a heated mattress pad. Easily one of the best purchases I've made in a long time. I think I read somewhere that it only costs like 2 cents/night to run and there's nothing better than jumping into a toasty warm bed at night. I had waited so long to buy it because I had experience with other mattress pads where you could feel the wires, but this one is nothing like that. Super soft. And it lets us set the thermostat super low at night no problem. Beats the old space heater hands down.

Good luck with the pipes.

Where are you located? How cold are the temperatures you're dealing with? After adding even more insulation (like this - http://www.lowes.com/pd_304090-210-304090.0_4294858106__?productId=3122447&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1&currentURL=%3FNs%3Dp_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&facetInfo=) and grabbing some of those mylar blankets (http://www.amazon.com/Emergency-Mylar-Blanket-52-84/dp/B0047D6XA2), checking for air leaks, I'd get a cuddly dog.

If you want to splurge, get yourself one of these - http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Plush-Low-Voltage-Electric-Heated-Mattress/dp/B003ZSHDEK/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1421297813&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=mattress+cover+heater - we don't heat our bedroom at all, but use this instead + lots of blankets. Very economical.

The advantage of working with such a small space is that you can more easily insulate the heck out of it. Only go for extra heaters if you really need to... they can end up killing your electrical bill and/or burning your place down if you aren't careful.

Get one of these

You bet. I would have searched for it when I posted the message but was on mobile and amazon isn't as friendly with search on there. Here it is:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001JEPSSA/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Please note that I had a different (Sunbeam?) one before this which was much flimsier and took FOREVER to heat up. This one heats instantly - or as close to it as you can imagine, and is incredible. Last couple nights I have been sleeping with it on "LO" and it's perfect. Just enough to take the chill out. I can't even imagine what it's like at max heat - probably hot enough to get a tan?

I would suggest getting heated mattress pads like this. They use very little energy, and only heat where you need it (in bed). This way, they can turn the heat down in the whole house at night. That will solve part of your problem.

Next, If they haven't already, I would look into air-sealing. Air sealing is one of the most cost-effective ways to save energy. All of the insulation in the world won't really matter much if the house is not air-sealed.

Lastly, at the risk of sounding condescending (I'm not), buy them some sweaters.

I got this one on Amazon.

(Soft Heat Micro-Plush Top Low-Voltage Electric Heated Queen Mattress Pad, White)

> Heated mattress pad
> We just call that an electric blanket.


maybe a category? the heated mattress pad is placed underneath the fitted sheet on the mattress like a standard mattress pad. the beauty of the design is that the heat is trapped under the sheets and blankets, while an electric blanket lies above the covers where the heat usually radiates out above you.

Here is the brand and model that I have SoftHeat King Size

Also I can recommend this heated mattress pad if you want to go that route:
http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Plush-Low-Voltage-Electric-Heated-Mattress/dp/B003ZSHDEK

It's a bit more expensive than traditional ones because it has a transformer that drops the voltage actually going through the heating coils (makes it a little more safe around pets who might chew/claw it). If you don't have pets you can get a Sunbeam one for about $40 less.

The electric mattress pads work and are definitely worth the money. I bought this one about a year ago.

I know this is not the point of this thread, but a dual-zone heated mattress pad is one of those things you can't imagine living without after you've tried it, especially in a cold climate.

They aren't inexpensive, but treat yo' self: https://www.amazon.com/Sunbeam-Premium-Mattress-Heating-Controllers/dp/B004DQU9C6/ref=sr_1_10?s=bedbath&ie=UTF8&qid=1521667588&sr=1-10&keywords=heated+mattress+pad

A heated mattress pad or blanket can do wonders! Instead of trying to heat the entire apartment, just make sure your bed is nice and toasty. Much cheaper than buying and running a space heater too.

I moved up from the south 2 years ago and had the same questions for /r/boston


In typical fashion.......they did the same thing they are doing to you. Laughing, and being dicks instead of trying to help.

My place was old, the heaters were not working, and their were leaking windows everywhere. I bought this

Caulking Cord

and

window kit

and

Heater

I very legally could have gone to the housing authority and reported my landlord for the lack of adequate heating (and broken radiators) but decided that this stuff worked just fine. First winter I couldn't get the house above 62, and some rooms I am sure were much colder. The electric and gas bill was insane.

Second year we just don't even bother using the radiators at all, we use the space heater, a heating blanket, and sealed all the windows and doors (balcony) with that caulk. The house was still cold, but we were warm. This seems to be a common tactic up here, heat yourself not the house.

I also looked into buying one of these bed heater, but I don't want to sweat in the middle of the night and the bedroom is pretty easy to heat with that space heater.

Good luck. Also, most people up here can be dicks when it comes to heating/cold complaints. Just sit back and laugh at what these people call a severe thunderstorm, most of them would shit their pants if they ever experienced a regular summer storm in the south.