BRITS could swelter in hotter than Sahara heats this weekend, which calls for one thing only – whacking the AC on.
But an air conditioner could really add to your bills. We take a look.
Forecasters are predicting baking highs of 34C tomorrow.
Dubbed, "Fiery Friday", it could be the hottest day of the year.
But while it may be tempting to buy an air conditioner and leave it on all night, this could increase your energy bill at a time when Brits' wallets are already stretched.
Last month energy bills soared by 54%, bringing the average annual price a household has to fork out for, to £1,971.
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It's because the price cap went up on April 1, adding almost £700 on average to about 18 million households' standard tariff bills across the UK.
But bill-payers aren't in the clear yet, as a further increase to the cap could make it rise to £2,800 later in the year too, adding ANOTHER £800 to bills.
But the air conditioning isn't free to run, so you need to keep all this in mind when you reach for the on switch.
How much does it cost to run an air conditioner?
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An air conditioner with a unit size of up to 10kw costs around 38p per hour to run, according to Evergreen Air Conditioning.
The average person uses their air con for about four hours 18 minutes during the day and four hours 48 minutes at night.
Based on this running time of roughly nine hours in total through the day and night, this could add £24 per week to your energy bill.
If you have the air conditioner on only through the night to keep cool while you’re asleep – assuming nine hours in bed – it would cost roughly the same.
But if you’re running it all through the night and some of the day, it could add up to more.
The exact amount it costs to run depends on how long you use it for, but also the type of air conditioner you have and the amount you pay for energy.
You can save money on the cost of running an air con unit by using a fan instead.
In comparison that costs around £1.64 a week.
Fans cool by blowing air over your skin, while air conditioners cool the entire room by removing heat.
How else can I keep cool in the heat?
Relying on air conditioner to keep you cool could be a very expensive way to tackle the heatwave this year, but there are other options you could try.
DIY website Family Handyman has come up with ideas that include spraying a sheet with cold water covering a window opening.
With this hack, the breeze will hit the sheet and pass through the cool, damp fabric, which can help bring the temperature down in your home.
The site also suggest trying insulated window films that you can buy to stick on your window.
This cheap to purchase alternative can help cut energy costs as well as offer privacy while you can still enjoy the view and light from outside.
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They are also designed to provide up to 98% infrared heat reduction compared to unprotected windows, and reduce the temperature coming in.
They're only about £11 to buy from places like Amazon as well.
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