The five heatwave appliances adding HUNDREDS to your energy bills – how to cut costs
WARMER weather doesn't necessarily mean you'll be using less energy around the home.
With a heatwave on the way, you might think your energy bills would drop – but watch out for these hot weather appliances that could cost you a small fortune.
Households should be careful before reaching for hot weather appliances that could be adding to their energy bills.
From fans to keep you cool at night to an extra drinks fridge when you host the family BBQ, these devices could be costing you a bundle.
Electric fans
Leaving an electric fan on overnight might help you stay cool and sleep better, but it's adding to your energy bill.
Running a 40 watt fan for 12 hours a night will cost you around 23.5p.
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Your actual costs will depend on your energy tariff and the device you have.
But you can use this equation to work it out:Cost = power (kilowatt) × time (hour) × cost of 1 kWh (pence).
The cost of 1 kWh under the current energy price cap is 28p.
At 23.5p a night, it would cost you £1.64 to have your fan on every night for a week, and £7.28 if you had it on for 12 hours a day for a full month.
To avoid having the fan on, switch to a lightweight summer duvet if you have one, wear cool cotton clothes and be sure to open windows to let the air move about your home.
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Electric shower
You might be showering more to feel fresh in the hot weather, but spare a thought for your energy bills.
According to Uswitch, a 10-minute shower uses 1.42 kWh of energy – costing you around 40p a time.
If you usually shower once a day, that's an annual cost of £142 – but if you shower twice a day for half the year, that will go up to £213.
Cutting your shower length to eight minutes could shave around £30 off your annual cost.
And, as it's hot, why not brave a cold shower? It'll save your boiler firing up to heat the water.
And an eco-shower head uses water more efficiently, and could halve the litres per minute that are going down the drain.
Drinks fridge
If you've got family and friends coming over for a bank holiday BBQ, you might plug in a second fridge to keep the drinks cool.
But watch out – this is one of the most energy-hungry vampire appliances in your house.
According to Loop, an unused extra fridge could cost £99 a year to leave on.
So, if you are going to use an extra fridge, make sure you unplug it once the guests have gone.
A cheaper alternative could also be to chill your drinks in a big bucket of ice.
Outdoor lighting
You might also be looking to pretty up your garden with some decorative lights if you've got guests coming.
But Loop says keeping just two 60watt outside lights on for 10 hours a night could add £125 a year to your energy bills.
If you are buying lights, try to choose an energy efficient option.
One alternative is to consider solar powered lights, which soak up the sun's energy through the day and use that to run once it gets dark.
Smart speaker
A smart speaker might be a great option for shouting out song requests to get the garden party started, but it's one of the most expensive devices to leave on standby.
Your Alexa, or device of choice, has a fairly low energy usage at around 3 watts.
But surprisingly, it uses almost as much when it's left on standby too, eating up 2 watts of energy even when you're not using it.
That adds an extra £4.90 a year onto your energy bill if you leave it plugged in but not in use 24 hours a day.
So, keep the tunes coming while the guests are round, but remember to unplug it when the party's over.
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Elsewhere, one money-saving expert reveals the five devices in your kitchen pushing up your energy bills.
And a simple change to the way you use your tumble dryer could slash the time it takes to dry your clothes – and potentially save you a bundle.
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