'My electric mattress topper saves me £24 a week on bills - it's a no-brainer'

16 November 2023 , 13:58

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I compared my £119 electric mattress topper to a £30 one (Image: Danielle Kate Wroe)

As the mercury drops, we begin to layer up during the day to avoid putting the heating on as it's so expensive - but when it comes to bedtime, things can get seriously chilly, yet thankfully, there's a way to combat that.

With many struggling to warm their homes with central heating because it's far too expensive, people are turning to alternative methods of getting cosy, because sometimes bed socks and fleece pyjamas don't quite cut it.

One of these methods is using an electric mattress topper. Receiving one as a gift was a complete and utter game-changer for me, and it's made my winter evenings much more toasty. It's also saved me money.

I waved goodbye to the days of dithering in bed because it's just so cold during the winter months, and greeted warmth all night long with open arms. Confusingly, electric mattress toppers are often mistaken for electric blankets, so if you've overlooked the former, now is the time to consider investing in one.

I've had my electric mattress topper for a number of years now and, not to be dramatic, I can't imagine life without it. My original electric mattress topper was rather pricey, retailing at £119 from Dreamland in 2022. Now it costs £124.99. However, I know that we're currently in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis and if mine were to break, not only would I be gutted, but I'd simply be unable to justify such a high price point.

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The Dunelm alternative cost £30 - £89 cheaper tan the expensive one I was gifted (Danielle Kate Wroe)

To make sure I had a backup mattress topper (just in case!) I decided to buy a Dunelm alternative for £30, which I didn't have mega high expectations before as it's significantly cheaper than my original. Now, the Dunelm mattress topper will set you back £34.

The cost of running electric mattress toppers

According to Sleep Seeker, it would cost 70p to keep an electric blanket on for 24 hours, meaning for an eight-hour sleep, an electric blanket would cost around 23p to run. According to research by the energy comparison site Uswiitch, an average electric blanket uses around 100 watts of energy in the warming stage for a double-sized bed. The cost of one kWh of electricity averages around 34.0p/kWh (pence per kilowatt hour), for those on a standard variable tariff. As such, a standard electric blanket uses around 100W and under the current guarantee, would cost between 2p and 4p to run at full power for an hour.

However, it must be noted that this is just an estimation as different electric blankets do have different energy settings, and some can cost more to run than others.

Pre-mattress topper I'd usually have my heating on between 10pm and 12am, and then back on at 6am until 8am when I'm usually up and out of bed, so the electric mattress topper would save me roughly £3.50 a day, which works out at £24.50 a week. That's £98 a month - so it really does add up. Again, the calculation all depends on your boiler and tariff.

My routine

I have nothing bad to say about my Dreamland mattress topper at all. It heats just half of the bed, meaning if your partner prefers to be cold, then they can do their own thing whilst you're toasty warm. It prevents any late-night arguments - put it that way!

Compared to the Dreamland version, the Dunelm topper only has three settings, whereas its pricier counterpart has six. This made me a little apprehensive to try the cheaper alternative, but I was determined to give it a fair chance.

I rather enjoy putting it on its highest setting (six) while I clean my teeth and do my skincare routine so by the time I get into bed it's nice and toasty. While I read in bed, I'll usually turn it down to a four, and then I'll pop it on a two or three to actually sleep. Sometimes, I'll just heat it up with a six though, and then turn it off if it's not that cold.

The Dreamland version has six heating settings (Danielle Kate Wroe)

Whereas Dunelm has only three (Danielle Kate Wroe)

The Dunelm mattress topper has a less complicated-looking remote than the other, as it has fewer things going on, making it look more 'basic'. But sometimes basic isn't a bad thing. The remote also looks cheaper, but given it can save you such a large amount of money then I'd say it's a minor bugbear.

When unpacking the Dunelm option, I was feeling a little unsure - I was convinced that nothing could compare to my expensive model. Surprisingly, Dunelm went and blew me away with their £30 offering, and it wasn't in the way I was expecting.

Trying the Dunelm mattress topper

Because my Dreamland blanket is in the main bedroom, I opted to put the Dunelm version in the guest bedroom and decided to spend a warm (but lonely) night in there to test it out to see what it had to offer.

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The mattress topper is cosy and warm, as promised (Danielle Kate Wroe)

It comes with instructions too (Danielle Kate Wroe)

As I would normally, I set the electric blanket on its highest setting and went to get ready for bed. I proceeded to tentatively peel back the covers and get in - and I was left gobsmacked.

It was toasty warm - not quite as warm as the other mattress topper, but it was definitely more than I was expecting. It may be £89 cheaper, but that doesn't mean that it's any less mighty, and it left me questioning whether the more expensive one was actually worth it. £89 is not to be sniffed at, especially as the cost of everything rises around us.

I decided to save my judgment for the morning, however, changed the setting to a two, and settled in for the evening.

In the manual, one is low heat, two is medium heat, and three is high heat - so I was happy with a medium so I didn't overheat during the night. And, the medium heat was just fine throughout the night. I wouldn't say it beat the Dreamland one, but it's definitely functional and would be just fine to use daily - especially if you're a mattress topper novice.

The Dunelm topper seemed to heat up in fewer places than the Dreamland one, but it was easy enough to find the heat and get comfortable. Of course, there's also the fact that this could save you a lot of money during the cold winters. Thirty pounds may seem like a lot of cash to spend upfront, especially if you've never felt the benefits of the product, but you'll save at least that in just a week of opting for your mattress topper, rather than keeping the heating on all night long.

Do you have any recommendations for products that can help warm your home? Email [email protected]

Danielle Kate Wroe