HOUSEHOLDS are basking in glorious sunshine with temperatures set to reach 34C in parts.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued amber and yellow Heat Health Alerts covering the whole of England, until July 14.
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The Met Office has also said large swathes of the UK have met heatwave criteria.
Heatwave conditions are met when a location records at least three consecutive days of temperatures meeting or breaching a certain threshold.
These thresholds differ based on the region with those in the Midlands and South-East of England higher than the rest of the UK.
Many will be looking for ways to keep cool as the hot weather continues, but if you’re using appliances to do this, like a fan, costs can add up fast.
Here, we reveal how much a fan costs to run and if there are any other cheaper alternatives.
How much energy does a fan use?
First you’ll need to work out how much electricity your fan uses.
You can do this by finding out its “wattage”, which will tell you how much power it uses.
Then you need to find the total output you will have to turn that wattage into kilowatt hours.
You will need to do some maths here.
To convert watts into kilowatts, you divide the wattage by 1,000.
For example, if your fan uses 70 watts, dividing 70 by 1,000 gives 0.07 kilowatts (kW).
Then you’ll need to multiply this number by the number of hours you’ve used the fan.
For example, if you use the fan for 12 hours, the calculation is 0.07 kW x 12 hours = 0.84 kWh.
Once you’ve calculated your fan’s energy usage in kilowatt-hours (kWh), multiply this by the cost per kWh as stated on your energy bill.
Electricity prices vary across the UK, so check your energy bill for the exact price per kWh.
According to the July 2025 Ofgem price cap, the maximum rate for those on the standard variable tariff is 25.73p per kWh.
How much does it cost to leave a fan on all night?
Based on the example above, you’d take 0.84kW and multiply it by 25.73p – equalling 21.61p.
The equation is: cost = power (kilowatt) × time (hour) × cost of 1 kWh (pence).
So if your fan costs 21.61p to have on for that long and you have it on for a full week, that adds up to £1.51.
If you repeated that across a month of 4.5 weeks, the cost would be £6.81.
Of course, costs will vary depending on what type of fan you have, how long you’re using it, what setting it’s on and how much you pay for your energy.
How to calculate your appliance costs
HERE’S how to work out how much your appliances are costing you:
Find the wattage: Look for a sticker on your appliance. It will tell you the wattage (W). If it’s in kilowatts (kW), remember 1kW = 1000W.
Convert to kilowatts: Divide the wattage by 1000 to get kilowatts (kW). For example, a 500W appliance is 0.5kW.
Figure out usage: How many hours a day do you use the appliance?
Calculate daily kWh: Multiply the kilowatts (kW) by the hours of use. For example, a 0.5 kW appliance used for 4 hours a day would use 2kWh (0.5 x 4 = 2).
Factor in electricity cost: Ofgem’s current electricity price cap is around 25.73p per kWh (this can vary slightly depending on your supplier and region so it is always worth double checking). Multiply your daily kWh by this price to get the daily cost.
Monthly cost: Multiply the daily cost by the number of days in the month.
Do fans make a room cooler?
The short answer is no.
While fans don’t actually lower the temperature of a room, they can make you feel cooler by circulating air over your skin, which helps reduce your body temperature.
However, fans have no effect on the heat within the room itself. This means that if you’re not planning to stay in the room, there’s no benefit to leaving the fan on.
How else can I keep cool in the heat?
If you’re wanting more cost-effective options for keeping cool, here are some suggestions.
You could try lowering your bed onto the floor, where the air is cooler.
It’s also worth opening windows at both ends of your home to create a steady cross-breeze.
You can buy cheap handheld fans for as little as £1.50 as well.
