HOUSEHOLDS are feeling the squeeze on energy bills and they could be hit with a further £1,000 hike this summer – here’s how to avoid it.
Millions saw their energy bills soar to £1,971 a year for the average household after the price cap was increased last month.
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The cap could rocket by a further £830 in October, taking the average bill to £2,800, Ofgem’s boss warned.
As it gets warmer, households might think they’ll be saving money on their bills because they don’t need to switch on the heating.
But some households might actually see their energy bills soar during hotter months if they own these everyday summer appliances.
From hot tubs to patio heaters, these gadgets are gobbling up more energy than you might think.
In fact, you could be driving your bills up by around £951 over the summer according to Uswitch.
Here’s how to avoid falling into the hot weather energy bill trap.
Bills in summer – up to £951
Uswitch has crunched the numbers on how much these five commonly used summer appliances cost to run between the summer months of May to September.
Calculations are based over this 153 day period.
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Hot tub – up to £775
Uswitch energy expert Will Owen said hot tubs are “big energy guzzlers”.
“The most efficient devices add £1.30 a day to energy bills — about £40 a month — based on an average running time of just 30 minutes a day,” he said.
Over five months, that adds up to £199 – but this could jump even more if you have a tub that’s not as energy efficient.
These usually tend to be the cheaper models which are not as well insulated, and Uswitch estimates that they could cost £5 a day to run.
It could cause your bills to soar to a whopping £765 over the summer.
This doesn’t even include the cost of filling it up.
Energy Helpline estimates that a 3,000 litre hot tub – for around seven people – will cost around £5.25 to fill up each time.
Experts say you should change the water in your hot tub once every three months – so you’ll probably refill it two times over summer.
That means you could be paying £10.50 extra on your water bills.
How to avoid it
There are a number of ways to cut the costs of running a hot tub.
Location is key – the wind can reduce hot tub water temperatures which means it will use more energy to keep warm.
Placing the hot tub near a windbreak or in a sheltered area will help to keep costs under control.
Insulating it more will help lower your bills – keep the lid on and add a thermal cover or blanket.
Keep the filters clean as well – otherwise the pump needs to work twice as hard, increasing energy usage.
Electric patio heater – up to £100
It still gets a little chilly during summer evenings, so many households will be whacking out their electric patio heaters.
But you might not know that they cost roughly the same to run as indoor electric heaters, Mr Owen said.
“Electric patio heaters can vary a lot in power consumption, and commonly use between 1.5kW and 3kW.
“A 2.4kW unit would cost 67p an hour to warm up your patio, which adds up to nearly £5 if used for an hour every day for a week.”
Over the five warmest months of the year, that tallies up to £100.
How to avoid it
A simple way of avoiding this bill hike is to wear a jumper, or wrap yourself up in a blanket.
That way you can keep the chill off without breaking the bank.
Or if you’ve got a fire pit, start a fire instead.
Poundland is selling one for just £15 – which is much less than what it costs to run your outdoor heater.
Electric BBQ – £57
There’s nothing like sizzling sausages on a barbecue when the sun is out.
But it costs more to cook on an electric one compared to using your kitchen oven.
“An electric BBQ of 2.2kW used for 90 minutes would cost around 95p in electricity,” Mr Owen said.
“An oven with a smaller power usage of 0.63kW is likely to use less energy to cook your sausages and burgers, but you do lose the enjoyment of cooking outside.”
It means that if you had three BBQs a week, it would cost you £2.85 – which over the course of summer racks up to £57.
How to avoid it
The most obvious way to save money on your electric BBQ bills is to use it less.
Having one once a week as a weekend treat would lower running costs down to £19.
If you’re thinking of getting an electric BBQ but haven’t splashed out yet, you might want to consider a gas BBQ instead which is more energy efficient.
While a coal BBQ could help cut costs further.
Fans – £13.80
Being hot and sticky at night can be horrible – which is why many of us leave a fan on overnight.
Leaving a fan on from 10pm to 8am overnight costs 10p a night, and 69p a week.
If you used it every day during the summer, this could total up to £13.80.
It’s not a huge amount of money compared to other appliances – but it could all add up.
How to avoid it
Although fans aren’t the biggest energy vampire appliances on the list, you could still save money using more cost effective ways of cooling down.
Family handyman has come up with ideas that include spraying a sheet with cold water covering a window opening.
The site also suggest trying insulated window films that you can buy to stick on your window.
They are also designed to provide up to 98% infrared heat reduction compared to unprotected windows, and reduce the temperature coming in.
They’re only about £14.59 to buy from places like Amazon as well.
Lawnmowers – £5
Green fingered Brits will most likely spend more time tending to their gardens this summer than they do during the winter.
Luckily, it’s not adding as much as you think to your bills – but it’s important to keep these costs in mind if you’re looking to slash your usage.
“Lawnmowers have an average power rating of 1.6kW, and if used for half an hour a week, it would cost 25p a week,” Mr Owen said.
That means you’ll be paying roughly be paying a fiver over the whole of summer.
How to avoid it
You can’t really avoid using a lawnmower if you want to keep your garden looking sharp.
But cutting down how often you use yours could put some cash back in your pocket – although running one doesn’t cost the earth.
Cutting your grass twice a month instead of every week could halve your bill to £2.50 over summer.
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