PEOPLE in Bradford could be shelling out an extra £300 in energy bills during the summer, according to research.

Comparing a number of popular appliances used during the summer including electric patio heaters, air conditioning units, hot tubs, and outdoor pool heaters, homing energy-saving assistant Loop has calculated how much they could add to a household’s energy bills.

Breakdown of costs to run popular summer appliances:

Item; Cost for 8 hours; If used for 8 hours every day for a month:

  • 2800W Garden pool heater - £4.03; £120.90
  • 2000W Hot tub - £2.89; £86.70
  • 1500W Garden heater - £2.16; £64.80
  • 1003W Air conditioning unit - £1.44; £43.20
  • 40W Fan - £0.06; £1.80

With the weather warming up and many people staying in the UK for the summer, some households will be investing in new equipment for their gardens to make the most of the British summer.

According to Loop, Garden pool-heaters could add as much as £120 to your energy bills if used regularly throughout the summer months. Depending on the pool size, the heater can take anywhere from 12 hours to three days to warm the water, which could cost an additional £20 to set-up. Loop also calculated hot tubs would add almost £90 to your energy bills.

On a cooler summer day it can as long as 18 and a half hours to heat the hot tub to the recommended temperature. For those looking to stay outdoors in the evening or on colder days, an outdoor electric garden or patio heater might be the purchase of choice.

Loop calculations show these could add almost £65 to your energy bills – and even more if you forget to switch them off.

Many people will be turning to fans or AC units to keep cool during the warmer summer evenings at home, but a comparison between the two has revealed it could cost a shocking 2,300 per cent more to use an electric air-conditioning unit to keep a home cool in comparison to a standard fan.