Bed heating systems including dc-heated bedding assemblies and/or dc-powered control systems

A bed heating system, comprising:

• a DC-heated bedding assembly, comprising:
• a substrate;
• a heating element supported by the substrate, wherein the heating element is configured to be operatively coupled to a DC power supply and to generate a heat output to heat the substrate;
• and
• at least one voltage tap positioned along a length of the heating element;
• and
• a controller configured to be connected in series between the DC power supply and the heating element, wherein the controller is operatively coupled to the at least one voltage tap and is configured to monitor a detected voltage at the at least one voltage tap, and wherein the controller is configured to selectively regulate an electrical power supplied to the heating element by the DC power supply based on the detected voltage in order to control the heat output generated by the heating element.

A DC-powered control system for a heating element, comprising:

• a controller configured to be operatively connected in series between a DC power supply and the heating element, wherein the controller is configured to:
• control an electrical power supplied to the heating element by the DC power supply in order to control a heat output generated by the heating element;
• monitor a detected voltage at at least one voltage tap positioned along a length of the heating element;
• detect a deviation between the detected voltage and an expected voltage at the least one voltage tap;
• and
• regulate the electrical power supplied to the heating element based on the deviation.