Cutting down on everyday costs has become the norm for many households across the UK, from using appliances during off-peak times, swapping the oven for an air fryer or opting for the fire place instead of central heating. The rising cost of living is starting to have an influence on consumer buying habits.
Between now and this time last year the popularity of certain household appliances has rise by more than 6,000%, with air fryers, dehumidifiers and log burners appearing to be at the top of shoppers' lists.
According to comparison website Price Runner, that look at more than 6,000 UK providing retailers, these household appliances have more than doubled in interest as consumers try to keep gas and electricity costs down.
The figures collected are based off shoppers interests, which have been calculated by the total number of online clicks on a product. Wood burning stove 'clicks' have grown by 1.157%, between November and December alone dehumidifier sales are up by more than 200%, and air fryers have soared in popularity (by 3,000% to be exact). When totalling up how much money can be saved on household bills, it's not surprising to the demand.
A log burner won't heat up a property the same way as central heating, it has become a popular alternative for households to keep warm. And doing so under the current energy price cap (of £4,279 per year) households can save around a third of the normal electric central heating cost, and a 13% saving than gas central heating.
Although dehumidifiers aren't heating devices they have become an essential appliance for households who are reducing the heat in their homes, as the weather plummets during the winter more houses are susceptible to damp and mould from condensation and a lack of ventilation to keep the house warm. Running a dehumidifier stops the moisture and is a cheaper alternative to keeping the heating on to counter act the moisture instead.
Figures from Ideal Home shows the average 480W dehumidifier costs less than 16p per day to run, if used for around 30 minutes per day. But the biggest saving is seen with air fryers, a 2400W air fryer (which could easily cook a meal for six people) costs just £2.91 per week and around £11.84 per month.
Energy efficient air fryers and best retail price
Out of the 10 air fryers Price Runner compared, the most searched for is the The Tefal Actifry Genius XL YV970840, click and internet searches on this model are up by more than 522% since October this year.
Following close behind is The Tower T17065 with searches up 6,700 per cent in a year. The Tefal Actifry Genius XL, Philips Essential HD9252, and Tower Compact T17023 all feature to be in 'high-demand' too.
Evelina Galli, consumer expert at PriceRunner UK says: "We know that air fryers have been a hugely popular purchase in the past year due to the cost of living crisis and rising energy prices, so much so they’ve been difficult for consumers to track down.
"Well now we can add to that log burners which consumers are also buying in their droves as a way of keeping gas and electric heating costs down this winter, and dehumidifiers which help to take moisture out of the air, especially if people are choosing to dry laundry on an airer rather than using a tumble drier.
“We also know consumers are having to search around to find stocks of these popular items, so we’d recommend people use price comparison websites like ours to track down availability and get the best prices.”
Price comparison site CamelCamelCamel allows shoppers to look up the pricing history of a particular Amazon product, by looking at the recent pricing shoppers can work out if the current price is a good deal or not. It's also beneficial at this time of year in the lead up towards Christmas because the yearly figures may also indicate if a reduction can be expected soon.
For example he Tefal Actifry Genius XL, the most sought after air fryer, is currently £199.99 (with 30% off). However looking at the previous costs now would not be the best time to buy it, the cheapest price so far was around Black Friday this year, when it dropped to £147.99, so Boxing Day or New Year sales may the best time to buy it.
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