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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Sam Barker, Personal Finance Reporter & Clare McCarthy

Cost of running an electric fan all night during Ireland's 'mini-heatwave' as energy bills soar

Ireland is enjoying a 'mini-heatwave' these days thanks to an area of high pressure that's building over the country - and some forecasts are predicting highs of 30C next week.

Met Eireann has confirmed that Monday was the hottest day of the year so far - and predicted that the record could be broken in the coming days.

A sizzling 27.7C recorded in Dublin's Phoenix Park yesterday, while other areas also enjoyed temperatures in the low- to mid-20s.

READ MORE: Met Eireann forecasts grim change in some areas before mercury hits 25C again

The national forecaster says high pressure will dominate right into next week bringing mostly dry and warm conditions with temperatures building by the day.

In a shock forecast, the State meteorological service said temperatures could "possibly reach the high 20s" from Sunday.

And some long range weather models - which are subject to change - show temperatures of 30C in Ireland by Monday.

While the heat is great news for those making the most of summer, the sweltering weather could spell bad news for our electricity bills.

Auto energy switching service Migrate estimates almost half the population of the UK use electric fans to help them stay cool during the hot, summer nights.

Numbers could be similar in Ireland but using a fan overnight can seriously rack up your energy bills.

The typical 120w pedestal fan using costs around 4c an hour to run on average, according to Uswitch.

That might not sound like much, but it soon adds up.

Leaving the fan on between 10pm and 8am would cost you around 39c in energy costs .

Doing that for a whole week would cost €2.78 - 89c more than last summer, thanks to rising energy costs.

But even the cost of running a fan is tiny compared to air conditioning units.

A portable air con unit costs around 33c an hour in energy costs - that's €23.16 if you use it every night for a week.

Of course, if you don't want to use a fan - or discover you can't get one - there are other ways to stay cool.

Other methods of avoiding restless nights include opening a bedroom window, sleeping without bedcovers, sleeping in separate beds, freezing or filling a hot water bottle with ice water, and switching to a lower tog rated duvet.

How to keep cool at night

  • Take a cold shower before bed
  • Keep bedroom blinds and curtains closed during the day to block out the sun
  • Use a spray bottle filled with cold water for a cooling mist on demand
  • Create a DIY air conditioner by putting a bowl of ice in front of a fan
  • Chill a pair of socks in the fridge and putting them on before bed

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