Best and worst fans for a heatwave – the biggest energy guzzlers revealed
HOUSEHOLDS face soaring temperatures this week and many will be using their fans to keep cool.
But with energy prices predicted to hit new highs this winter, it's important to know how much it's costing you.
Learning how to cut costs where you can has never been more important.
Emily Seymour, sustainability editor, said: “Electric fans are a great way to keep cool in a heatwave.
"How much energy they use will depend on the individual fans' power output and whether you keep it on a maximum or minimum level.
"If you choose a fan with low power output, it will use less energy - you should be able to find this information on the manufacturers' website - although that doesn't mean that it's energy-efficient.
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"Plus, our testing has found that power output or the fan speed setting don’t always guarantee a suitably refreshing breeze, so it’s worth doing your research before spending any money."
Experts at the energy consultancy firm Auxilione predicted that the price cap on energy bills could reach £3,628 in October, from £1,971 today.
It could then rise again to £4,538 in January and peak at £5,277 in April.
These hikes are likely to add hundreds to people's bills.
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But we've calculated how much energy the average fan costs to run over a 12 hour period - and some fair cheaper than others.
We've reviewed the running costs of eight fans within a price range of £19.99 to £399.99.
However, price isn't always a good indicator on energy efficiency.
Surprisingly, some of the cheapest fans under £50 can cost over £1 to run for 12 hours a day throughout a week.
ElectriQ's 38 inch tower fan only costs £34.97 brand new but it'll set you back £1.05 in running costs.
The same goes for the Pro Elec Desk fan priced at £47.90, which costs a whopping £1.19 a week if it was used every single day.
Dyson's £399.99 cool purifying tower fan will set you back a little less costing £0.98 a week.
The smallest fan on the list - Muji's low noise USB fan only costs £0.21 a week to run. However, it'll set you back £24.95 and would only be efficient to cool a small area.
The cheapest fan on the list, the Beldray 9 inch desk fan comes out as the second cheapest to run over a week - it'll only set you back £0.56.
The same Pro Elec desk fan would cost you more than double this.
How to work out how much energy your fan uses?
To begin with you'll need to find out how much your fan's "wattage" is. This'll tell you how much power your fan uses.
You'll then need to calculate how much power your device uses in an hour - this is called kilowatt hours.
Simply divide the wattage of your fan by 1,000 to give you the fan's kilowatt hours
Therefore, if your fan is 50 watts output on its high setting and you always use this, divide 50 by 1,000 = 0.05kWh.
You then need to multiply this number by the number of hours you've used the fan.
For example, if you're using it for 12 hours at a time, then 0.05kW x 12 hours will mean 0.60kW output.
How much does it cost to run a fan for 12 hours?
One you have your kilowatt output, you need to multiply it by the amount you are charged for 1 kW of electricity.
There is no standard price for electricity cost per kWh in the UK, so you'll need to look on your energy bill to find this amount.
One thing to bear in mind is that if you are on a default tariff and subject to the price cap, then your supplier can currently charge up to 28p per kWh.
With this in mind, you'd take your 0.60kW, and times it by 28 - equalling £0.17.
The equation is: cost = power (kilowatt) × time (hour) × cost of 1 kWh (pence).
So if your fan costs £0.17 to have on for 12 hours, and you have it on for a full week, that adds up to £1.19 across the seven days.
If you repeated that across the month, the cost would be £4.76.
Obviously, costs will vary depending on what type of fan you have, how long you're using it for, what setting it's on and how much you pay for your energy.
How else can I keep cool in the heat?
You could try cooling your sheets down before bed by sticking them in the freezer, according to TikTok star That Property Guy.
Shutting curtains and blinds during the day can help the house stay cool, while opening the windows on both sides of your home can create a cooling through-breeze without the cost.
He also recommends avoiding using the oven and turning off appliances which are not in use as they kick off heat too, even on standby.
Tom Church, Co-Founder of LatestDeals.co.uk, said that having a cool shower before bed can set you up for the night to avoid overheating.
You could try putting hot water bottles in the freezer, or a plastic bottle if you don't have one.
You could also make your fan work harder by putting a a bowl of with water and ice in front to cool down the house.
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We have also calculated how much it costs to leave your air conditioner on all night.
It's not just us struggling in the heat, here's eight gadgets to keep cool in a heatwave - including your furry friends.