Households have been warned to consider rocketing electricity prices when reaching for a fan as the year's first heatwave arrives. The cost of keeping cool has risen by more than 75% in the past two years as prices have soared during the energy crisis.
As the year's first heat health alert was issued ahead of a forecast 30C heatwave in England and Wales, uSwitch calculated the two million UK households with an air conditioning unit face a £71 million weekly energy bill. Britons are also set to spend nearly £3 million a week using desktop fans to keep cool, according to the comparison service.
It will cost the almost four million households that use desktop fans 7p a week to run one for an hour a day - and 67p during hotter weeks if they are used nine hours a day. In a typical week, the more than 840,000 households with built-in air conditioning units - if using them for the average four hours and 18 minutes during the day and four hours and 48 minutes at night during high temperatures - could see the cost soaring to £56.76 a week.
Another one million homes have portable air conditioning units, which could cost £21.02 a week during hot spells. The heatwave comes ahead of the energy price cap falling to £2,074 a year for the average household, which means the cost of running a 2.7kW air conditioning unit for a week will drop from £56.76 to £51.60, uSwitch said.
Natalie Mathie, energy spokeswoman at uSwitch.com, said: "Energy prices may be falling on July 1, but costs can still add up when trying to stay cool in a heatwave, especially if your air conditioning unit is running around the clock. Most people don't need to rely on energy guzzling gadgets to keep cool as there are a few simple tricks you can use to keep the temperature down inside. Keeping your curtains closed during the day will stop sunlight from warming up your home, while filling a hot water bottle with cold water can help keep you cool."
Energy firm Ovo also warned householders that fans "can use a lot of energy and don't actually cool the air".
Ovo energy spokesman Greig Millar added: "When it comes to keeping your home cool in the heat, there are three key things to remember. Only let cold air in, keep hot air out, and limit solar gain - the heat that's generated through sunlight hitting windows."
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It advised those opting for fans to set them on the ground floor and point them towards a far wall with no large objects in the way, in order to bounce cooler air back into the room to lower the overall temperature. Other tips include opening windows on opposite walls or at opposite ends of the house to create a cross-breeze, or better still to open windows at night and close them during the day to trap cooler air inside.
Keeping curtains, blinds and windows shut when the sun is shining directly on them, and also when out of the house, also helps to keep air inside cooler. Meanwhile, bedding firm Woolroom said sales of its light wool duvets had soared by around 80% since May 22 compared with the previous two weeks as consumers prepared for the arrival of warmer weather.
Woolroom managing director Chris Tattersall said: "It's great to see more customers looking to maximise the cooling benefits of sleeping with wool, especially as we undergo this seasonal shift from spring to summer. While there is still some scepticism around wool, it's great to see the nation's attitude towards the fibre is changing with the increase in light wool duvet sales as we approach summer."
