Sweltering temperatures have swept across Europe the past few weeks, seeing record highs and health warnings issued by governments in some areas as across the world, El Nino’s arrival has officially been confirmed.
With more hot weather predicted in the coming weeks, many households facing the extreme heat are turning to ways to cool down their homes. However, temperatures aren’t the only thing hitting record highs - with energy bills skyrocketing, many people want a solution to cool down their home without a hefty charge.
Moneyzine.com’s experts have compared the costs involved in the most common tactics to cool your home down to help you find the most cost-effective way to cool off in the heat this summer.
We used the current predicted energy cap price for electricity set to change on the 1st July, which is £0.30 per Kwh to calculate the following costs.
What’s the average cost for energy per month?
Based on the latest figures from British Gas, the average electricity energy bill is as follows:
| Electricity usage | Average annual consumption | Average annual cost* | Average monthly cost* |
| Low (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1-2 people) | 1,800 kWh | £791.04 | £65.92 |
| Medium (3-bedroom house / 2-3 people) | 2,900 kWh | £1,156.31 | £96.36 |
| High (5-bedroom house / 4-5 people) | 4,300 kWh | £1,621.19 | £135.10 |
Therefore we can estimate the average electricity monthly bill to sit around £100.51. Keep in mind that the costs listed below to cool your home are in addition to your typical energy usage.
Costs to Cool Your Home
Below are the estimated costs to cool your home using four of the most popular appliances and gadgets.
| kWh (8hr/s day) | Daily cost | Monthly | Annually | |
| Fitted Air Conditioning | 24 | £7.20 | £216.00 | £2,592.00 |
| Portable Air Conditioner | 32.8 | £9.84 | £295.20 | £3,542.40 |
| Ceiling Fan | 0.6 | £0.18 | £5.40 | £64.80 |
| Electric Fan | 0.32 | £0.10 | £2.88 | £34.56 |
Fitted Air Conditioner
Additional Monthly Cost: £216
Estimated Overall Monthly Electricity Cost: £216 + £100.51 = £316.51
Fitted air conditioning units are not a particularly popular appliance used in British households considering our rather short periods of heat throughout the year. However, it’s undeniable that they are a real blessing for rapidly cooling down your home in the peak of summer when scorching temperatures leave homes unbearable to sleep in.
If you are amongst the few who own a fitted air conditioning unit for your home, however, the costs to run one may put you off ever switching it on again! A 3kWh fitted air conditioning unit will use approximately £7.20 of energy per day, assuming you have it running for 8 hours.
Over the course of a month, that’s an additional £216 a month on top of your standard energy usage!
Portable Air Conditioning Unit
Monthly cost: £295
Estimated Overall Monthly Electricity Cost: £295 + £100.51 = £395.51
Portable air conditioning units are a slightly more popular option than a fitting air conditioning unit in the UK, due to the fact that they can be stored away in the colder weather, and can be wheeled from room to room where needed.
A standard portable air conditioning unit tends to be around 4.1kWh, which means it would have an approximate monthly running cost of £295.20 (assuming a running time of 8 hours per day).
This makes it the most expensive option on this list - so homeowners should carefully consider just how vital this investment is.
Electric Fan
Monthly cost: £2.88
Estimated Overall Monthly Electricity Cost: £2.88 + £100.51 = £103.39
A standard electric fan is the most popular choice for cooling down hot rooms in the UK during heatwaves, helping to circulate the air and provide a bit of relief during those sweltering days and nights! Fan-owners will be pleased to know that this is a fairly cost-effective way to cool down, too.
An average 40W electric fan, run for 8 hours per day, uses approximately just £2.88 of electricity per month. Of course, bigger fans with higher kWh will cost more to run than this.
Ceiling Fan
Monthly cost: £5.40
Estimated Overall Monthly Electricity Cost: £5.40 + £100.51 = £105.91
Ceiling fans aren’t often seen in the UK but for some homes, they can be a fantastic way of keeping rooms a bit cooler when the heat outside is unbearable. A ceiling fan is the second most economical way to cool your home, coming in at £5.40 per month.
It’s worth noting, however, that purchasing and fitting a ceiling fan into your home will be a more expensive job than simply buying a floor fan. Plus, with UK heatwaves infamously short lived, it may be worth weighing up how often you’ll actually use the fan.
Other Cheap Ways To Cool Your Home:
Open the windows
Monthly cost: £0
Using your windows strategically is the most cost-effective way to cool your home down without using any gadgets at all.
Keep your windows open in the morning and evening when it's cool (keep your windows open all night if it's safe), and keep hot air and sunlight out during the day.
Reflective blinds
Monthly cost: £0 | £31.99 one off cost
You can also keep your home cool in heat waves by putting up reflective curtains or blinds in your windows, which reflect the heat of the sun back out into the day!
In terms of price, a standard reflective blind will cost you around £31.99, but then you’ll be keeping your home cool for nothing.
FAQs
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