BRITS working from home have been battling with rising temperatures over the past week while trying to do their job.
With Covid work from home orders still in place, employees are expected to pick up the bill in a bid to keep themselves cool.
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Employees can claim tax back worth up to £125 if they’ve worked from home even for a day this year, to help towards rising household costs.
But the saving will be split across your wages over the year and you might not feel the benefit straight away.
Employees hoping to keep temperatures down while they work – especially now work from home rules have been extended until July 19 – may look to invest in fan or air conditioning unit. But which is cheaper to run?
Fan vs. air conditioning
Before reaching for your fan or air conditioning unit, beware that turning it on for a long time might bump up your bills.
According to data from Uswitch, a standard 120W electric fan costs 2p an hour to run, while the average portable air conditioning unit costs 44p per hour to put on.
“At the average usage of four hours 18 minutes during the day and four hours 48 minutes at night, portable air conditioning units could drive up electricity bills by £28 per week during hot weather,” Uswitch energy expert Will Owen said.
That’s compared to the extra £1.30 it would cost to run a fan for the same length of time per week.
If you just want to leave it on for a night, then it will cost you around 9p – but this will vary.
He added that more customers are buying air conditioning units so should be aware of the costs.
In May last year, Google searches for these units rocked by 133% compared to the previous year, he said.
To give your fan an extra boost for less, you could also put it in front of an open window.
The draughts of air will help circulate the cold air around your room more effectively.
For even more of a cool air turbo boost, simply grab a plastic bottle or two and put puncture holes from the middle to the top.
Fill to just underneath the holes with ice and either put the bottles in front of the fan or attach them to the back.
Alternatively, if you have a tower fan, place a tray of ice in front of it on the floor for that extra chill.
The air will be cooled by the ice to create an air-con feeling in any room.
How else can I cool my room for less?
Although closing the curtains on such a sunny day can feel a shame, it will help you cool down.
It means the sun will stop shining into your room and heating it up – so you can work without getting a sweat on.
Keep your blinds closed in your bedroom too – by the time you’re heading for bed, your room should be cooler.
While you might think ditching the pyjamas is a good idea to avoid tossing and turning at night, it actually might make you hotter.
Dr Guy Leschziner, consultant neurologist and sleep physician, told the BBC: “If you’re wearing a natural fabric like cotton it acts as a wick for your sweat and it can increase the surface area for the sweat to evaporate, thus may make you feel much cooler.”
Plus, unplug your appliances to stop extra heat being pumped into your room.
Appliances that have to be plugged in tend to generate a fair amount of heat, which will make a hot day even hotter.
Plus, you’ll save money on your electricity bill – Brits are wasting a whopping £432million per year alone just by leaving a TV set on standby.
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