160 watts against 2,000

160 W is the rated power of our Signature Heated Throw. 2,000 W is what a typical plug-in radiator draws. One number is twelve and a half times the other. Here is where both come from, and what they do not mean.

Where 160 comes from

From the manufacturer's specification of the Signature, rated 160 W at the highest of its ten settings. Lower settings draw less. Across the rest of the range: the Essential throw is rated 120 W, the underblankets 60 W for a single and up to 100 W per side for a double, the cushions 100 W. These are nameplate figures, the number on the product's rating label.

Where 2,000 comes from

From the portable heater aisle. The common setting of a plug-in radiator or fan heater sold in the UK is 2,000 W; some models offer 1,500 W, some reach 3,000 W. We compare against 2,000 W because it is the setting most rooms already have, plugged in next to the sofa.

What the ratio means

Power is the rate at which an appliance spends electricity. Over the same hour, the radiator spends twelve and a half times what the throw spends. That is the entire claim, and it is a matter of arithmetic, not of opinion: 2,000 divided by 160 is 12.5.

The reason the comparison is fair is that both appliances are used for the same moment: one person, one seat, one evening. The throw heats that person directly. The radiator heats the room around them first.

What it does not mean

It is not a percentage off your heating bill. What you actually save depends on your rooms, your tariff, your habits and your boiler, and nobody honest can print that number for you.

It is not a promise that both appliances feel the same. They do different jobs: if three people share the room, the room may be the right thing to heat.

And real appliances rarely draw their nameplate figure for a whole evening. The mid and top of our range use PTC heating elements, which draw less as they reach their temperature; a radiator's thermostat cycles on and off. Real use of both is usually lower than the label.

The sums, done properly

Four hours at full power for both, at the current price cap: the arithmetic is set out line by line in What it costs to run, and the calculator does it with your own tariff.

Signature Heated Throw, 160 W, 10 Settings

• 160 W
• 180 × 130 cm
• 10 settings

$199.00

See the Signature Heated Throw, 160 W, 10 Settings