There is nothing like a warm bed on a cold night to relax and soothe you to sleep. A heated mattress pad will warm the bed underneath as well as the pillow and covers. The heated mattress pads are comforting and enable deeper relaxation much faster so you can wake up more refreshed in the morning.

Although some people are building houses that have incredibly efficient HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) systems installed, many people still live in houses with poor insulation and HVAC. Older houses are particularly prone to these problems. In the winter, this can make the house too cold for comfort and result in astronomical heating bills.

Heated mattress pads (electric) may be a good alternative to keeping the heat running constantly, or to piling on blankets, and can drastically cut heating costs. However, it’s worth investigating how much electricity electric mattress pads really use if you want to determine whether the pad will result in real savings. The following sections give information on the wattage used by electric mattress pads, as well as data on what can affect the wattage. Typically heated mattress pads consume approximately 60 to 90 watts on the high settings. This usage is per side, however, so an entire pad can consume 120 to 180 watts on average. Translated into money, this means the average pad is consuming about 2 to 3 cents if run for an entire night!

The size of the heating mattress pads impact how much wattage is used. A twin mattress pad, for example, can use 60 to 85 watts, which is about the same amount as the wattage of each side of a larger pad. If you have a larger pad, you can expect to use more electricity because there is more pad to be heated. Small wires and circuits have increased resistance. This means that it takes less voltage to heat them up than it does for large wires, so mattress pads that have wires that are larger than others will need more electricity to get the same amount of heat. Wires in heated mattress pads typically have become smaller over time, so the newer your mattress pad, the better the odds are that it is more efficient.

Snuggling up with an electric blanket keeps you warm at night, but sleeping on something with electricity coursing through it seems a little unsafe to some. While safety regulations and precautions have improved over the years, concern remains about the safety of electric mattress pad

In the late 1980s, inconclusive studies linked electric blankets to cancer. Investigations, safety advancements and warning labels have made them safer over the years, but improper use remains a danger. Electric mattress pad is an effective alternative to an electric blanket. Instead of providing a source of heat above the body, electric mattress pad provides heat under the body. Some people use the electric mattress pad all night long, if they feel exceptionally cold at night. Others use a electric mattress pad simply to warm up the bed before jumping in. In this way, the pad helps one avoid the shock of cold sheets on cold nights.

When partners share a bed, an electric mattress pad may offer dual controls similar to an electric blanket. This way, each partner can adjust the setting for individual comfort. Many find that dual controlled pads resolve sleeping issues when one partner is more susceptible to warmth or to cold.

Following are things precautions to be considered before using an Electric Mattress Pad:

1. Many also find that the heat underneath the body can be helpful for certain conditions like arthritis. However, caution should be employed when a person suffers from a painful condition that may be age related.

2. People using an electric mattress pad or blankets should have sufficient control of their limbs so they can shut off the pad. People who are likely to forget to turn off an electric mattress pad or blanket should also not use one, as the pad may pose a fire danger if left on too long. Proper precautionary measures ensure better utility of Electric mattress pad.

3. Babies should never use either type of electric heating device, as they may be more likely to receive burns! And also, they cannot control the temperature. As well, experts recommend not employing any type of electric pad or blanket on pets.

4. Further, those who suffer from urinary incontinence should not use electric mattress pads or blankets. This encompasses some of the elderly and children who might still have the occasional nighttime accident. Though very unlikely, a slight danger of electrocution exists from an accident in the night while a pad is turned on