Updated 15:27 29 Jul 2026 GMT+1Published 11:47 7 Aug 2025 GMT+1

Brit who begged for help on surviving brutal heatwave gets given unexpected answer about fans

With another UK heatwave on the horizon, these are the fans you should probably invest in

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Ella Scott

A Brit who begged for advice on staying cool in the heat was given an answer that might just change how you look at fans forever.

Yet another UK heatwave has been forecast in the coming days, with some areas of Britain facing sweltering 37-degree temperatures.

And ahead of the UK’s most recent hot weather blast, one Redditor took to the site’s r/UKFrugal thread to ask how they could keep the temperature down without incurring sky-high energy bills.

“[I am in a] top floor flat currently with windows and curtains shut to block out the blazing sun & coming to terms with yet another heatwave,” they wrote.

“Can't afford air-con or fans constantly running. Frugal tips appreciated for keeping the house cool.”

Best fans shortlist still in stock:

Despite their fears about running costs, fellow users surprised them by explaining that the gadgets are actually pretty cheap to run.

One Redditor explained: “Fans don’t use much electricity at all”. They were backed up by another user who typed: “Most fans use less than 40w of power, even on the most expensive of tariffs you're going to barely notice it on your bill.”

“Fans don't use much electricity definitely less than an A/C. I have had a fan on all day running and it’s cost me less than 5p, well worth it to be cooler,” replied another.

Running a fan all day may be cheaper than you think (Dyson)

How much do fans cost to run?

You might be surprised to learn that fans don’t usually cost a bomb to run.

According to energy experts at Heat Pumps, a typical 73W box fan consumes around 0.073 kWh of electricity per hour.

If you leave it running overnight for about nine hours, that adds up to roughly 0.65 kWh per night.

Over the course of a week, this totals approximately 4.6 kWh, which, at a rate of 26p per kWh, would cost around £1.19 per week; not too bad at all.

Of course, different types of fans will use different amounts of energy. For example, table fans typically consume more power, averaging around 0.1 kWh per hour.

If you run one overnight every night for a week, the cost would come to around £1.63.