BRITAIN is set to bask in scorching heat this week with temperatures as high as 33C – but how can you keep cool on a budget?
Most households will be dusting off their trusting fans this week in an attempt to stay cool during the blistering heatwave, but it can be costly to run one all day and night.
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Summer is a season where you might expect to save money on energy bills.
Households can take advantage of the warm weather to air dry their clothes instead of using tumble dryers, for example.
However, the scorching heat means we’re switching on other devices to keep cool and it could be costing a fortune.
The average cost for gas and electric is now £1,971 a year for the 20 million people on a price-capped tariff – and is expected to hit more than £3,000 in October.
A price-capped tariff limits the unit cost of electricity, but the exact amount you’ll pay depends on your usage.
If you’re worried about the cost of using a fan, we’ve got some tips to help you keep them down.
Lower speed setting
Fans usually come with a variety of speed settings.
And one of the easiest way to reduce your energy usage is to put yours on the lowest speed.
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Energy expert Will Owen from Uswitch.com said: “Fans are at their most efficient on their lowest power setting, so pick the slowest speed that gives you a decent cooling breeze.”
If you’re on the highest setting, the fan will be working harder and using more energy to keep your cool.
But it will still have an impact on your temperature when it’s operating at a lower speed, so don’t automatically just reach for the highest setting.
Set the fan to oscillate, so it moves from side to side too – as this will move more cool air around the room.
Ice cold
Fans circulate the air around a room, rather than cool it down.
The air being moved across your skin can make you feel cooler but the room temperature actually stays the same.
However, there is a trick to make your fan into an air conditioner, without incurring the hefty costs for an AC unit.
Place a bowl of ice cubes in front of the fan. This will create a nice cool breeze which will lower the room temperature.
Position is key
The placement and position of your fan could make all of the difference.
“Pop it in the corner or on the floor where the air is coolest,” one man said in a video on the Earthtopia TikTok account.
You can also try placing your fan towards an open window.
The fan will then pull in the colder air from outside, while pushing the warmer air from inside out.
Will said: “You could place your fan in front of an open window to improve its cooling effect, but if it’s an especially hot day, this may mean blowing warm air through the house.”
Make sure it’s clean
When the temperature rises, you might head to the loft or garage to dig out a fan you’ve not used in months.
But you must ensure that it’s clean and working efficiently before you turn it on.
If the fan has gathered a lot of dust, it can affect how well it works. Clean it by removing any dust on the blades or elsewhere.
Will said: “If you’ve just got your fan out of the garage or attic it may have accumulated a lot of dust, which can reduce the efficiency of the mechanism.
“Give your fan a good clean, removing any dust from the blades and any other surfaces.”
It will also mean it’s not blowing dust around the room.
How much energy does a fan use?
To calculate the energy usage, you need to work out the fan’s wattage. This will tell you the amount of power its consuming.
Then you need to find out the total output, which you turn into wattage and then into kilowatt hours.
You divide the kilowatt hours by 1,000 which will give you output for an hour.
You then multiply the answer by the number of hours you’ve used the fan.
When you’ve calculated your kilowatt output, you need to times it by the amount you pay for 1kw of energy.
You can find out how much this costs on your energy bill.
However, if you’re on a default tariff and are subject to the price cap your supplier could charge up to 28p per kWh.
Therefore the equation is cost = power (kilowatt) × time (hour) × cost of 1 kWh (pence).
Costs are also subject to the type of fan you have and how long it’s being used for.
Will said: “Running a 70 watt fan for 12 hours will cost you almost 24p, and if you’re worried about your energy bill there are a few tricks to keep your costs down.
A better trick is to place a bowl of ice cubes in front of the fan, which will give you a lovely cool breeze.
We rounded up the cheapest fans just in time for the heatwave.
And we’ve looked at how hot it needs to be for schools to close in the UK.
