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Polar bears cool down in Yorkshire lake as UK braces another heatwave
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With the UK summer heating up, thousands of households will be trying to keep cool. But according to Ryan Willdig, heating and home expert at Heatforce, many of the viral cooling hacks doing the rounds on TikTok are not just ineffective – they’re pushing up energy bills by hundreds of pounds a year.
"Summer is the time when energy efficiency is often forgotten. People often assume turning down the thermostat will cool the house or they’ll run fans around the house throughout the night – adding to their electric bills," Ryan warns.
Ryan says there are five common "hacks" that the UK believes, thanks to the likes of TikTok, which have little to no effect:
“Turning the thermostat down cools the house”
“This is not true,” Ryan explains. “Most thermostats only control heating and not cooling – unless you’re in a fancy hotel with air conditioning.”
He adds that lowering the temperature won’t actually make your home cooler, "it’ll just delay the heating kicking in, which makes no difference if it’s already off.”
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“Fans lower the room temperature”
“This is counter-intuitive, but – it’s false,” Ryan says. “A fan just moves the air around. If that air is warm, it could actually make the room feel hotter.”
That said, there is a simple trick that can help: “One hack is to put a bowl of iced water in front of the fan to get the coolness of that moving around instead – just don’t trip over it.”
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“We should turn our boilers off in summer”
While it might seem smart to switch off your boiler entirely in warm weather, Ryan advises against it.
“If you completely power it down, it can cause problems – especially when winter comes around and you need it most,” he says.
However, that doesn’t mean you should leave it running as normal.
“If your boiler has a summer mode, or you can turn the heating function off, then absolutely do this,” Ryan suggests. “It’ll stop radiating heat – and stop adding those few extra pounds to your bills.”
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“Opening the windows in the day will help”
“Opening the windows to let air in can actually make things worse,” Ryan explains.
Instead, he advises keeping everything shut during peak temperatures. “You should keep your windows, blinds, and curtains closed during the day to stop the heat from getting in.”
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“Airing cupboards need to stay hot all summer”
“This one is false, too,” Ryan says. “Many homes still run immersion heaters or keep the hot water tank warm just to dry towels or bedding – but in summer, that’s a waste.”
The solution? “Adjust the timer or lower the temperature setting slightly to save energy without losing comfort – and dry your towels in the sun.”
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