Households splashing out £300 extra this summer
New research from home energy-saving assistant Loop has revealed the worst culprits for adding to energy bills during the summer months, as it finds some households could be forking out as much as £300 extra when the sun is shining.
Comparing a number of popular appliances used during the summer including electric patio heaters, air conditioning units, hot tubs, and outdoor pool heaters, Loop has calculated how much they could add to a household’s energy bills.
Breakdown of costs to run popular summer appliances
Item Cost for 8 hours If used for 8 hours every day for a month
2800W Garden pool heater £4.03 £120.90
2000W Hot tub £2.89 £86.70
1500W Garden heater £2.16 £64.80
1003W Air conditioning unit £1.44 £43.20
40W Fan £0.06 £1.80
With the weather warming up and many people staying in the UK for the summer, some households will be investing in new equipment for their gardens to make the most of the British summer.
According to Loop, Garden pool-heaters could add as much as £120 to your energy bills if used regularly throughout the summer months. Depending on the pool size, the heater can take anywhere from 12 hours to three days to warm the water, which could cost an additional £20 to set-up.
Steve Buckley, head of data science at Loop said: “A pool is like a house – the better insulated it is, the easier and cheaper it will be to keep warm. Investing in a solar pool cover is a good option to avoid heat escaping when the pool is not in use, and also to capture heat from the sun to warm the water ready for when you want to use it again. Turning off your filter at night and insulating the walls and floor can also help you to save energy.”
Loop also calculated hot tubs would add almost £90 to your energy bills. On a cooler summer day it can as long as 18 and a half hours to heat the hot tub to the recommended temperature.
For those looking to stay outdoors in the evening or on colder days, an outdoor electric garden or patio heater might be the purchase of choice. Loop calculations show these could add almost £65 to your energy bills – and even more if you forget to switch them off!
Steve Advises: “If you’re using electric appliances outside you might need to use an extension cable, but make sure you unwind it fully first if you’re using it for an extended period to avoid any dangerous overheating. You should also ensure it doesn’t get left out in the rain unless it’s designed to be used in this way.”
Many people will be turning to fans or AC units to keep cool during the warmer summer evenings at home, but a comparison between the two has revealed it could cost a shocking 2,300% more to use an electric air-conditioning unit to keep a home cool in comparison to a standard fan.
Steve says: “There are lots of things that people can do to make their homes and gardens as enjoyable as possible over the summer, but it’s important to consider not only how much some of this outdoor equipment could be adding to your bills, but also the impact they have on the environment as we have a collective responsibility to tackle the climate crisis.”
You can now try Loop for free for 90 days to find out how you can save money on your energy bills here: Loop
