SCORCHING weather has left many Brits lying awake at night in hot, stuffy rooms.
With temperatures expected to hit a staggering 43C in some parts of the country this weekend, many people are rushing to find gadgets to help them cool down.
Mature woman is trying to sleep in bed but suffering from heat
But plenty of heatwave devices are adding to your energy bills.
And one gadget might be costing you a small fortune to run each week.
Mattress toppers that pump cooled water beneath you as you sleep are a great way to keep you feeling fresh on hot nights.
Some of these devices can reduce the temperature beneath you to a cooling 13C, which could offer some welcome relief from the high temperatures.
You can buy one online from anywhere between £30 to £220. Remember to always shop around to find the best price.
But running one isn’t cheap.
Sarah Broomfield, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “The devices use around 140W of power, which will cost you 32p a night or £2.22 for a week if you’re using it for eight hours a night.”
This means if you were to use one at that rate for 12 weeks over the summer, you could be spending as much as £26.64 just on keeping your mattress cool.
It might not sound a lot but it can quickly add up when you factor in the cost of your other heatwave devices too.
Many people don’t realise how much it costs to run a fan overnight, or that a drinks fridge is one of the biggest energy-guzzlers in your house.
“These water-cooled mattress toppers aren’t cheap, so it’s worth considering other options unless you’re really struggling to sleep,” said Uswitch’s Sarah.
Other ways to stay cool in the heatwave
There are lots of ways to keep chilled in the high temperatures that should get you more bang for your buck.
“A cheaper option is to place a bowl of ice cubes in front of the fan, which will give you a lovely cool breeze as you sleep,” said Sarah.
“With most fans using 40W of power on average, this will only cost nine pence for an eight-hour sleep.”
SE worked out other ways to keep cool in the heatwave that won’t break the bank.
Using your fan properly is key. For example, there is an optimum position for a fan to be in to keep rooms cool and airy.
“Pop them in the corner or on the floor where the air is coolest,” one man said in a video on the Earthtopia TikTok account.
There are other clever tips that can help you keep temperatures down.
Energy provider Ovo said you can create a satisfying cross-breeze through the house by placing a fan so it points out of the window.
That might seem counter-intuitive, but it works by pulling cooler air in from outside, and pushing the warmer air out.
And if you don’t want to run any appliances to keep your home chilled, that’s fine.
You can use tin foil to shield your home from the baking heat.
All you need to do is cover your windows with the shiny material, especially those that are hit with direct sunlight.
You can do this by wetting the shiny side of the foil and sticking it to your windows.
The US government recommended the trick – it said that window reflectors such as aluminium foil-covered cardboard work by reflecting the heat back outside.
Elsewhere in SE we tried the best fans for under £30.
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