The five nightmare heatwave appliances that you MUST switch off now – or risk adding £200 to your energy bill
A HEATWAVE is on the way, but you could end up spending as much on your energy bill now as you do in the winter.
With sunshine and warmer temperatures to look forward to, you might think that switching off the heating would mean your energy bills will drop.
But watch out for these hot weather appliances that could cost you a small fortune to run.
These “vampire appliances” drain your electricity when they’re left on for long periods of time.
Of course, how much you’ll actually pay depends on how much you use the appliance and what make and model you have.
All of the costs below are based on the average unit rates according to the energy price cap, which is set at £1,568 from July 1, 2024.
From fans to smart speakers, these devices could add around £200 to your energy bill this summer.
Electric fans
Leaving an electric fan on all night can be a cheaper option than having air conditioning on, but it’s still going to be adding to your energy bill.
According to Uswitch, a desktop electric fan costs approximately 63p per week to use if you have it on for nine hours every night.
Over six weeks, this will add £3.78 to energy bills.
The exact 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 new energy price cap will be 22.36p.
To avoid having the fan on, try switching to a lightweight summer duvet if you have one and be sure to open windows at night to let the air move about your home.
You can also reduce costs by setting your fan to a lower speed.
Electric shower
Feeling hot and sweaty in baking hot temperatures isn’t enjoyable, so you might find yourself taking more showers than normal when warmer weather sets in.
But keep your energy bills in mind when you’re hopping in the shower.
More ways to save on energy bills this summer
Switching off appliances around your home is one of the easiest ways to cut energy costs.
Senior Consumer reporter Olivia Marshall explains how.
Check if you still need your dehumidifier
Dehumidifiers can help speed up your drying time, while also reducing the amount of moisture and condensation created by drying clothes indoors.
However, you may not need it as often during the summer months when you can open the windows to ventilate your home instead.
You could consider changing the settings so it runs for less time, or turn it off completely if you can let the air in through your windows.
Take your lamps off a timer
During the dark winter months, lots of households chose to put their lights on a timer for security reasons.
As the days get longer, it’s worth checking these settings to see if your lights are coming on earlier than they need to.
Turn off any plug-in heaters
Electric heaters can be a useful way of making a room a little warmer in the winter.
Some of them also come with timers you can set when they come on.
If your gadget does, then it’s time to give the settings a tweak.
A 10.8kW shower will cost you £2.81 a week to run, based on a ten minute shower, according to sust-it.
If there are four people in your household, this could cost you a whopping £78.68 over the period of a week.
Cutting the your shower to just four minutes should reduce the average household’s energy costs by £55 a year, the Energy Saving Trust estimates.
It will also slash your water bills if you are on a meter.
The sunny weather might be the perfect time to brave a cold shower, as it will save you the cost of firing up your boiler.
You could also invest in an eco-shower head which uses water more efficiently and could halve the litres per minute that go down the drain.
Fridge freezer
An extra fridge freezer is always handy if you are having friends or family over for a BBQ or a party.
But be careful – they are one of the most energy-hungry appliances you can use.
According to T.M Hughes and Son gas services, a fridge freezer can cost £98 over the year.
So make sure you empty and turn off your spare fridge if you aren’t using it.
If you have people over and need to keep some drinks cool, why not get a big bucket of ice for the day – it’ll keep costs down in the long run.
How do I calculate my energy bill?
BELOW we reveal how you can calculate your own energy bill.
To calculate how much you pay for your energy bill, you must find out your unit rate for gas and electricity and the standing charge for each fuel type.
The unit rate will usually be shown on your bill in p/kWh.The standing charge is a daily charge that is paid 365 days of the year – irrespective of whether or not you use any gas or electricity.
You will then need to note down your own annual energy usage from a previous bill.
Once you have these details, you can work out your gas and electricity costs separately.
Multiply your usage in kWh by the unit rate cost in p/kWh for the corresponding fuel type – this will give you your usage costs.
You’ll then need to multiply each standing charge by 365 and add this figure to the totals for your usage – this will then give you your annual costs.
Divide this figure by 12, and you’ll be able to determine how much you should expect to pay each month from April 1.
Outdoor lighting
If you are outside and enjoying the warm weather you might want to stay out late into the evening.
Households will be decking their gardens with outside decorative lights for parties.
If you had four 60W outdoor lights on for an hour a day this would cost around 5p, according to Nicholas Auckland, energy expert at Trade Radiators.
Over a 31 day month,this would be roughly £6.20 and for the whole of the summer, this would be £18.60.
When you are out buying outdoor lights always remember to check whether they are energy efficient.
It’s always worth shopping around- you’ll be doing yourself and the environment a favour.
You could also consider buying solar powered lights, which take in the sun’s energy through the day and use that to run once it gets dark.
Smart speaker
A heatwave is the perfect opportunity to relax outside and listen to some music.
But smart speakers are some 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 two watts of energy even when you’re not using it.
That adds an extra £2.28 a year onto your energy bill if you leave it plugged in but not in use 24 hours a day.
So, while there is no problem playing your favourite songs, make sure you unplug it when you are finished.
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