What Is An Electric Hot Water Bottle?

Electric hot water bottles provide the same benefits as traditional hot water bottles, providing comfortable warmth and helping alleviate muscle aches and pains. They are heated by being plugged into a power socket. While some electric hot water bottles heat as they are plugged in, other models have an autonomous heating system powered by a battery. Compared to traditional ones, electric hot water bottles don’t need to be refilled for each use.

How long do electric hot water bottles stay warm?

Electric hot water bottles typically stay warm for between 2 and 5 hours, depending on the brand and quality of the product.

How long does it take to charge an electric hot water bottle?

Most electric hot water bottles on the market take between 10 and 15 minutes to heat. Depending on how good your kettle is, this is longer than filling a traditional hot water bottle, which takes about 6 minutes if you count the water heating and filling process.

How much do electric hot water bottles cost?

The average starting price for electric hot water bottles is 20 euros. For higher-end electric hot water bottles, the price can go up to 90 euros, depending on the heating system and material used for the hot water bottle cover.

What are the advantages of electric hot water bottles?

1. Arguably safer

Electric hot water bottles are considered safer as they do not need to be refilled with hot water for each use, reducing the risks of burns during the filling process.

For most models, you only need to fill them once for your first use and reheat the same water for the following uses.

2. More time-efficient

In addition, electric hot water bottles are arguably more time efficient in the long run as they can be simply plugged in to charge or heat while you perform other tasks. Most electric hot water bottles take between 8-15 minutes to be fully warm and operational.

While it takes less time to prepare classic hot water bottles (about 6 minutes if you count the time to heat the water and fill the bottle), you need to be there during almost the entire process.

For most electric hot water bottles, you can just fill them once, seal them, and reheat that same water by plugging them in.

3. Control the temperature

These new-generation electric hot water bottles also offer more control over the temperature of the water. As you might have read in our article “What is the ideal temperature for a hot water bottle?”, both the water in your hot water bottle and its surface should be a certain temperature to keep the experience warm and safe.

Electric hot water bottles have integrated thermostats which keep the water around 75 degrees Celsius (167 degrees Fahrenheit), which is the ideal temperature for a safe hot water bottle experience.

In addition to the above advantages, electric hot water bottles offer all the benefits of classic hot water bottles.

What are the disadvantages of electric hot water bottles?

1. Don’t provide the full hot water bottle experience

As hot water bottle passionates, we just love the whole process of using the kettle, pouring the water into the hot water bottle, and screwing the stopper before cuddling with our warm friend. Electric hot water bottles take that magic away as technology takes care of everything.

In sum, if you’re a classic hot water bottle lover, this may not be for you, as you may lack the “authentic experience”. If you’re a more efficient person and are just interested in getting warm fast (understandable), electric hot water bottles may be a good fit for you.

2. More prone to malfunctions

Depending on the brand and quality of your electric hot water bottle, malfunctions may occur more often than with classic hot water bottles. Not much can go wrong with a traditional hot water bottle: you heat the water, pour it in, screw the stopper on, and that’s it.

With electric hot water bottles, some customers reported the charging system malfunctioning. Other shared experiences of the hot water bottle not heating properly. This can be problematic for models where you can’t refill the bottle with hot water yourself.

In addition, these problems can be frustrating altogether, especially if you’re spending an extra 15 to 20 euros for an electric hot water bottle.

3. Not as customizable as classic hot water bottles

Unlike classic rubber, PVC, or silicone hot water bottles, there is no dominant design when it comes to electric hot water bottles.

Indeed, classic hot water bottles are all shaped the same and come in standard sizes ( small hot water bottles typically have an 0.8L capacity, standard-sized ones a 1.2L capacity) which makes it easier to use different hot water bottle covers or replace damaged ones. For electric hot water bottles, it may be difficult for you to find a fitting cover, unless you have the time and passion to make one yourself!

Hot water bottle covers are an essential part of the experience, coming in different colours, patterns, and types of material. This is something we would miss when using an electric hot water bottle.

4. More difficult to travel with

For most electric hot water bottle models, you can’t get the water out once you've injected it into the bottle. This means that you can’t bring it with you if you travel by plane for example.

Traditional hot water bottles, on the other hand, are easy to pack into a backpack or suitcase for travel for example. Electric hot water bottles offer less flexibility in that regard.

Final thoughts

We hope we managed to provide a good first introduction to electric hot water bottles. Many new models are emerging in the hot water bottle market, we’re very much looking forward to testing them and sharing further tailored insights with you. For now, keep warm and cosy!