Some electric blanket statistics from Fire Services...

Accident statistics
DTI research shows that in 1996 faulty electric blankets caused more
than 5,000 fires:
- There were 19 deaths (compared with 32 in 1985).
- There were 91 non-fatal injuries (compared with 438 in 1985).
- The majority of non-fatal injuries (76%) are minor in nature,
usually involving smoke inhalation, and do not involve admittance to
hospital.
- At least 99 per cent of electric blanket fires are believed to
involve blankets that are more than 10 years old.
- 89 per cent of the people who died were over 65.

In tests carried out on over 50,000 electric blankets, 70 per cent
failed safety tests, and 40 per cent were found unsuitable for further
use.

Ownership
- Sales of electric blankets have fallen from over 1 million in the
early 1980s to nearer 800,000 from 1990 onwards, mainly because many
people have invested in central heating and double glazing.
- There are in the region of 10 million blankets in use in the UK.
About 30 per cent of these are more than 10 years old (including
around 500,000 over 20 years old).


Actually the argument about GCH & DG is erroneous, it is more
engrained demographic usage and some people particularly with
arthritis wanting to get into an obviously *heated* bed rather than
one perceived as cold. I suspect the number of blankets at 20yrs old
is higher and 15yrs old considerably higher.