UK weather - how much it costs to run a fan overnight as heatwave begins today
Many of us will likely be reaching for a fan to help us sleep tonight, as heatwave conditions hit parts of the UK - but how much does it cost to run one all night?
The Met Office is predicting we'll see the hottest day of the year this week, with temperatures of 32C expected in some parts of the country. As a result, amber health alerts have been issued for most of England, with a yellow alert in place for the North East.
Fans are often the go to for many in the hot weather and a few years ago having a fan on low all night wasn't a big deal. Even though energy bills in the UK have dropped, they are still horrifically high compared to what we used to pay. Uswitch has shared new data on how much it costs to run a fan to help Brits struggling with the heat this week.
The good news is that fans are surprisingly energy-efficient, especially when compared to an electric air-conditioning unit. Portable handheld fans are incredibly cheap to power, according to Uswitch data. This costs you around 6p to run for nine hours a day for the week. This cost rises to 15p if you want to run it for 24 hours a day for seven days.
One of the most popular products is a desktop fan and around four million households use them in the UK. Under the current July energy tariffs, if you use a desktop fan for nine hours whilst you sleep it will cost you around 67p a week. If you have your desktop fan on 24 hours a day for seven days, you'll be spending around £1.76 a week trying to keep yourself cool.
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If you have opted for a pedestal fan then your weekly costs will be a little more. At the moment, the average pedestal fan will cost you around £1.15 for a nine hour use. Again if you choose to run your fan for 24 hours a day across the heatwave this week you will be racking up a cost of £3.02.
For households who have portable aircon units, which according to Uswitch is around one million homes, the costs are even higher. To run a portable aircon unit for nine hours will cost you around £19.11 a week under the current energy tariffs, this rises to £50.40 if you run your unit all day long. Those who have built-in air conditioning units pay an average of £51.60 a week to run them for nine hours or a whopping £136.08 the run 24 hours a day for the week.
Natalie Mathie, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: ““Most people don’t need to rely on energy guzzling gadgets to keep cool as there are a few simple tricks you can use to keep the temperature down inside. Keeping your curtains closed during the day will stop sunlight from warming up your home, while filling a hot water bottle with cold water can help keep you cool.”
How to stay cool in the hot weather
Alongside its data, Uswitch also shared some energy saving tips on how to stay cool when the temperature rises.
- Create a cooling breeze - Place a bowl of ice cubes in front of an electric fan to create a refreshing breeze as it blows the ice-cold air around the room.
Close the curtains - Keep your curtains shut during the day. It may be tempting to let the light in, but the sunshine will heat the room, turning your home into a greenhouse.
Unplug the tech - The gadgets plugged in your home produce heat, including those that are on standby. Unplug them when you are not using them to keep the room cool.
Take advantage of the daylight - Switch the lights off during the day. Lightbulbs release heat causing a room to get warmer, so turning them off or switching to LED bulbs that give off less heat can help reduce the overall temperature. With the sun setting late in the evening during summer you can keep the lights off for longer and therefore keep the room cooler.
Use a hot water bottle - You don’t have to use a hot water bottle just to keep warm. Instead, you can fill it with cold water to keep you cool during the night.
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