BARBECUES are sizzling, pub gardens are packed and ice cream vans are out in force – but how do you keep cool for less this summer?
Here’s our ultimate guide to keeping cool on a budget as the mercury is set to reach the high 20s and low 30s this weekend.
Plenty of us will be enjoying the 28C heat today — and more sunshine is on its way.
Households are in for hot weather this weekend, with temperatures set to soar to 34C by Monday.
An official heatwave is declared when an area hits specific temperature thresholds for three days in a row .
That threshold is 25°C for the north and west of the UK, and 28°C for Greater London and the Home Counties.
While the Met Office has issued no weather warnings, experts have urged households to keep cool and check in on friends, family and neighbours, especially if they are vulnerable.
So how can you cool off for less? We explain how much it costs to run the most popular gadgets to keep you cool – and other ways to ward off high temperatures.
Running fan – up to 84p a week
Fans are a great way of keeping cool for less.
They’re cheaper alternatives to pricier methods like air con.
How much they cost to run depends on various factors like the model, how much energy they use, and how long you have it on for.
A 60W pedestal fan costs 1.5p an hour to run.
If you ran it for eight hours overnight, that would cost 12p, which racks up to 84p for a week.
A 35W desktop fan costs 0.9p an hour to run.
Running it overnight would cost 7.2p, which would cost 50.4p for a week.
Want to keep cool on the move? A handheld fan costs 0.08p to run an hour, so having it switched on for six hours over the day would cost 0.48p.
Cost of air con – £14.42 a week
It may be tempting to reach for your air conditioning unit during balmy weather.
But it could be more expensive to run than you think.
A portable air con unit which runs on 1kW of power costs 25.73p to run per hour.
If you used it for eight hours overnight, that costs £2.06, which totals £14.42 a week.
If you’re looking for an alternative that won’t cost a penny, why not try a cold hot water bottle?
Instead of filling your hot water bottle up with boiling water, fill it up with cold water instead.
This will help you keep cool during the evening.
You could even stick it in the freezer to get it even colder.
Paddling pool – £14
Paddling pools usually fly off the shelves as temperatures sizzle, and are a fun way for the family to keep cool.
Some pools on the high street are selling for under £10, but while that seems a bargain, costs can rack up when you come to filling it up.
It costs £14 each time to fill up a 6ft wide paddling pool, according to estimates from the comparison site Uswitch.
If you filled up your paddling pool with new water every weekend in July and August, which are the remaining summer months, that would cost you a whopping £126.
To cut down on the number of times you’re filling up your pool, buy sterilising fluid or use a filter.
Sterilising fluid can be picked up for as little as £4.20 for a litre, from Sainsbury’s and will help stop the growth of bacteria and algae.
Or you could get a filter that you place into your pool – when we checked prices online at Amazon, we found the cheapest ones would cost around £13.00.
Cover the pool – you could use bin bags – to protect the water when you’re not using it.
Other ways to keep cool for free
Want to keep cool without breaking the bank? Try out these free hacks
Mop the floor
Clean the house and keep cool at the same time by mopping the floor.
The hack boils down to simple science. The water will absorb heat from the floor when it evaporates – and hey presto, your floor is cooler.
It’s just like you sweat when it’s hot – it’s your body’s way of keeping your skin cool.
TV presenter Kevin McCloud is reportedly a fan of this little-known hack.
He told the Radio Times in 2022 that he learned the tip from “little old Italian men” who mopped their stone floors during hot temperatures.
Defrost the freezer
It may not be top of your list of fun things to do this weekend, but defrosting the freezer is a great way of cooling down.
The cold air from the freezer will be a welcome relief, and will circulate around the room, helping to bring down the temperature.
Experts estimate that not defrosting your freezer regularly could be costing households as much as £150 a year.
So it’s a win for your temperature and a win for your wallet too.
Little-known new build home rule
If you live in a new build home, the good news is that it may have been designed to keep below a certain temperature.
Building regulations state that bedrooms in new build homes must not exceed temperatures above 26C overnight.
That means window and door openings will be designed to close if temperatures start to soar.
Unfortunately, you won’t benefit if you’re not in one of these new builds – but there are other ways to keep cool.
For example, you can close the curtains during the day, which will help to keep your home cool into the night.
How to stay safe in hot weather
The UK Health Security Agency advised you follow these tips to reduce your risk of dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke:
- Keep out of the sun at the hottest time of the day, between 11am and 3pm
- If you are going to do a physical activity like exercising or walking the dog, plan to do these during times of the day when it is cooler such as the morning or evening
- Keep your home cool by closing windows and curtains in rooms that face the sun
- If you go outside, cover up with light clothing, a hat and sunglasses and slather on sun cream
- Drink plenty of fluids but limit booze
- Know the symptoms of heat exhaustion and heatstroke and what to do if you or someone else has them
- Check on family, friends and neighbours who may be at higher risk of becoming unwell, and if you are at higher risk, ask them to do the same for you
Source: UKHSA
