The key mistakes you're making with your fan and it could be costing you £111 a year

The Sun

a day ago

KEEPING your home cool in the summer months can be a bit of a challenge.
Many households turn to gadgets to help keep their pad feeling comfortable when temperatures are rising but beware as these can add a lot of money to energy bills.
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The typical cost of running a fan is relatively low, no matter whether you opt for a bladeless model or more traditional style portable fan.
For 24 hours of continuous use, you'd expect to pay between 3p and 7p through energy costs, according to the Energy Saving Trust.
Even if you continuously used a fan over June, July and August it would add, at most, around £6 to an energy bill.
However, with hotter weather more people are opting for air conditioning units.
These appliances circulate air around the room in a similar way to a fan - but also remove heat from the room.
Air con units are far more expensive to run than fans - typically 20 times as much, according to the EST.
You're looking at paying up to £1.30 for 24 hours of continuous use.
Over the course of a month that would be around £39 and over the summer months, £117.
There are some easy ways to make sure you're getting the most out of a fan to keep your home cool so you can avoid other pricier gadgets, according to consumer group Which?.
Here are the mistakes to avoid...
Forgetting the ice
Your fan can help cool a room faster if there is ice of cold water placed in front of it.
To make this trick work best, you want a bowl filled to the top with ice and the fan blowing air directly on to it.
This will make your fan feel a little more like an air conditioner without the added cost.
Location, location, location
If it's cooler outside, placing your fan next to a window will help draw in colder air helping to bring down the temperature in your home.
This could work especially well in evenings when it's usually colder outside. Make sure it's facing the room and leave the window open.
If you have another window in the room and another spare fan, you could further help push air out of the room by facing it out of the window. This will help create a crosswind in the room.
Pre-running a fan
Some may think that having a fan on in your bedroom before bedtime could be a good way to cool a room.
But in reality you're wasting energy as a fan only creates a breeze which feels cooling rather than lowering the temperature.
It's not a good idea to leave a fan running when you're out or not in a room either from a safety aspect.
Not cleaning up
Get the vacuum out to suck up dust and dirt in a room before turning on your fan.
The gadget will blow air as well as dust and pollen particles around the room.
This can aggravate allergies.
If you're using your fan for the first time this year, it's worth giving it a clean. Follow the manufacturer instructions and clean blades gently if you're able to.
It's a good idea to store your fan in a box or bag during cooler months to stop them gathering dust.
Choosing the wrong fan
As the name suggests, desk fans are usually best placed on a desk or table.
They will then help you feel cool if you're working next to it.
These gadgets are not too powerful and won't create a really strong breeze.
So unless you're sat at the table, opt for a pedestal or tower fan which is designed to reach a larger distance in the room.
How to save money on summer essentials
SUNNIER days and warmer weather will leave many of us wanting to kit out gardens and outdoor areas.
Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to get a great deal on summer essentials…
It pays to know how to bag big savings on the likes of hot tubs paddling pools, egg chairs and outside bars.
Many retailers have flash sales across entire ranges – often this ties into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends.
Sign up to the mailing lists of your favourite brands and you'll be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
Keep a close eye on the specialbuys at Aldi and middle of Lidl drops which drop a couple of times a week and usually mean great value seasonal items such as beach gear and paddling pools.
If you are not in a hurry to buy an item, try adding it to the shopping cart and leaving it for a couple of days.
Sometimes big brands will try to tempt you into the sale by offering you a discount.
Always check if you can get cashback before paying. It's especially worth using sites such as Topcashback, Quidco and app Jamdoughnut when buying bigger ticket items such as garden furniture as you'll get a nice kickback.