WHEN the weather heats up, a fan can bring relief if you’re stuck inside hot and stuffy rooms.
But how much do they cost to run? And will leaving it on all night lead to ballooning energy bills?
Whether it is a desk fan for when you are working from home or a larger one to keep your bedroom cooler at night, most Brits make sure they have one secured for ahead of the summer months.
Although energy bills are continuing to fall, it’s still worth knowing just how much these gadgets cost to keep cool.
Household bills are generally lower during the summer months as there is little need to use the tumble dryer or turn on the heating.
But don’t fall into the trap of cancelling those savings with your trusty cooling gadget.
So, how much does running a fan add to your energy bills?
Here’s everything you need to know.
How much energy does a fan use?
To work this out you need to find out how much electricity your fan uses.
First, you need to find out its “wattage”, which will give you the answer and tell you the amount of power it’s using.
Then you need to find the total output you will have to turn that wattage into kilowatt hours.
There’s a little bit of maths involved though.
First, you have to divide the kilowatt hours by 1,000 which will give you how much output is used in one hour.
Therefore, if your fan is 70 watts output on its high setting and you always use this, divide 70 by 1000 = 0.07.
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 0.07kW x 12 hours will mean 0.84kW output.
What are kilowatts and watts?
TRYING to calculate energy usage of your appliances can be confusing.
kW stands for kilowatt. A kilowatt is simply 1,000 watts, which is a measure of power.
A kilowatt hour (kWh) is a measure of energy. So a 1,000 watt drill needs 1,000 watts (1 kW) of power to make it work, and uses 1 kWh of energy in an hour.
That’s why, if you leave a TV or computer on standby, it is still using power and creating a kWh cost on your energy bill
How much does it cost to leave a fan on all night?
One you have your kilowatt output, you need to multiple 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 at your energy bill to find this amount.
Based on the April 2024 Offen price cap, suppliers charge those on the standard variable tariff up to 24.50p per kWh for electricity.
With this in mind, you’d take your 0.84kW, and times it by 24.50 – equalling 20.58p.
The equation is: cost = power (kilowatt) × time (hour) × cost of 1 kWh (pence).
So if your fan costs 20.58p to have on for that long, and you have it on for a full week, that adds up to £1.44.
If you repeated that across a month of 4.5 weeks, the cost would be £6.48.
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.
Do fans make a room cooler?
Although fans can’t make a room cooler, they can make you feel cooler.
The air moving over your skin can lower your body temperature but won’t do much about the heat inside a room.
So if you don’t plan on being in the room there’s no point in leaving the fan on.
Fans do not do anything to the heat inside the room itself.
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.
How else can I keep cool in the heat?
Relying on just a fan to keep you cool could be adding to bills during a heatwave, but there are other options you could try.
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 bowl of with water and ice in front of it to help cool down the house.
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.