SUMMER has arrived in the UK, which means we’ll be spending as much time as possible soaking up the warm summer heat in our gardens.
With the school holidays approaching, Brits will be thinking about the gadgets that they can invest into to make this summer one to remember.
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But before you begin investing your hard earned pennies into new summer appliances, you might want to consider the costs of running them for the next three months.
New research from USwitch.com shows that Brits could be spending £12million a week to power their garden gadgets.
Electric barbecues, hot tubs, lights and lawn features are a select few of the products that will make your energy bills soar.
We’ve created a list of products that will add to your energy bills and provided tips and tricks to help you save money this summer.
Remember these are estimates and should be used as a rough guide only.
The exact cost of running different gadgets will depend on the power it needs to run, how much you pay for energy and how long you keep them on among other factors.
Hot tubs
Hot tubs offer you the chance to kick back and relax in the summer sunshine but unfortunately the relaxing experience doesn’t apply to your energy bills.
The average hot tub adds £140 a month when it’s run for just 30 minutes a day.
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The least insulated and most inefficient hot tubs cost £7.80 a day to run, meaning those can cost £218.40.
Will Owen, energy expert at USwitch said: “If you are thinking about buying a hot tub consider how efficiently they run when picking one.
“Pricier hot tubs are likely to be better insulated and could be a good investment as they will cost less to run long term.
“Make sure you get a well-fitted cover that forms an air-tight seal to avoid losing heat and using more energy.”
Lawn mowers
An estimated 29% of Brits use an electric mower for 30 minutes a week on average, costing the country £2 million a week.
Overall, it adds £40 million to the countries energy bills over five months.
Uswitch’s advice is simple, let your lawn grow. Not only will save money but it’s beneficial for the environment.
The firm said: “At only 25p a time on average, mowing the lawn is not a big contributor to energy bills, but households looking to make savings could reduce the number of times they cut the grass — which can also be beneficial for insects, hedgehogs and wild flowers.”
Patio heater
The sun provides the heating for the day but when the evening crawls around, the temperature can drop.
But before you turn on the patio heater, consider the extra cash you could be spending.
Electric patio heaters can vary in how much power they consume. They often use 1.5kW and 3kW.
It’s estimated a 2.4kW costs 67p an hour to warm up the patio. This becomes £5 a week if used for an hour everyday.
To cut down costs Uswitch recommends you ditch the patio heater entirely.
Garden lights
A romantic lit night is ideal during the warmer months. Nearly four million British households own electric garden lights.
Whilst it only costs 8p over a week to run, as a country we spend £298,328 a week.
Uswitch recommends using solar powered lights.
Solar-powered lights can make a great alternative to electric garden lighting, the firm says.
They’re much easier to hang up, as you don’t need to be near a power source, and will save you money in the long run as they are powered by the sun.
Laundry
Your tumble dryer is a quick and easy way to dry your clothes but whilst the sun is here, take advantage of the warmer weather and hang your clothes out to dry.
Uswitch says: “If you have a garden or balcony, you can make use of the warmer weather by hanging clothes outside to dry.
“The average tumble dryer costs households £1.38 a week, so people can make substantial savings by using it less.”
Barbecue
Millions of households own a barbecue. But if you own a charcoal barbecue it may be worth switching to an electric or gas.
Overall, Brits spend £436 million on outdoor cooking over five months.
Electric barbecues cost 95p for 90 minutes of cooking whilst gas barbecues only cost 70p. 1kg of supermarket charcoal can cost £1.45.
Will Owen, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “The arrival of the hot weather means many of us will be spending less time indoors and making use of barbecues, outdoor lights and patio heaters.
“Energy bills are always lower in the summer when the heating is not coming on as often, but millions of people have energy guzzling gadgets in their gardens that they could use more efficiently.
“Hot tubs are the biggest offenders, and can be a drain on energy as they need to be kept at an ambient temperature so they are ready to be used.
“When buying any new gadget or appliance for the garden, remember to weigh up not just the outright cost, but how much they will cost to run. Sometimes the most energy efficient devices are more expensive – but they will save you money in the long-run.”
There are other various ways to save money through your home appliances. Your boiler could be adding 40% to your energy bills.
There are also many other appliances that could be contributing to your energy bills including air conditioning units and fans.
You may also be entitled to help with paying your water bills and could be owed £500.
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