Revealed: The garden guzzlers that could add £11 million a week to bills
Brits could spend £11 million a week this summer powering popular garden devices including hot tubs, electric barbecues and lawn mowers[1]
Barbecue fanatics could spend £800,000 a week cooking outside on electric appliances this summer — but it is still cheaper than traditional charcoal[2]
Two million households have a hot tub[3], with even the most efficient models adding 74p per day to energy bills[4]
A fifth of the UK’s hot tub owners have mothballed them or only use them on special occasions to cut down on energy costs[5]
Uswitch.com offers tips on how to cut your energy consumption in the garden during the summer months.
Brits could spend £11 million a week powering garden appliances this summer[1], according to new analysis by Uswitch.com, the comparison and switching service.
With the country finally basking in warmer temperatures since the end of July, many households will have been enjoying time in their garden at the start of the school holidays.
Hot tubs are the biggest contributors to garden energy bills, but the cost of running lawn mowers, electric barbecues and plug-in water features can also add up.
More than one million households own electric barbecues, which cost about 74p to run for 90 minutes of cooking. Using traditional charcoal is more expensive, however, with 1kg of supermarket charcoal costing around £1.99. In total, electric barbecue users could spend 832,000 cooking outdoors in a week, if all owners made one al fresco meal[2].
As temperatures increase, the two million households that own a hot tub are likely to take a dip, but need to be conscious of higher energy costs associated with them. The most efficient models can add 74p a day to energy bills, as the heater works constantly to keep them warm enough to be used when people want[3].
The UK’s hot tub owners could be building up energy bills of £8 million a week over the summer months if they all have very efficient models. However, less efficient models can be even pricier to run — potentially running up bills of around £4.50 a day[3].
Electric lawn mowers are the most popular garden appliance, owned by more than a quarter (29%) of UK households. Using one for around 30 minutes a week will cost the nation’s gardeners £1.8 million[4].
Plug-in water features are a way to improve the appearance of a garden, and only add 2p per week to energy bills[5]. Over 3.7 million households also have electric lights. Although they only cost 6p to run per home, it adds up to £236,000 across the whole country[6].
| Appliance | Owned by | Hours used per week | Weekly cost per household | UK weekly cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot tub | 6% | 1.6 | 74p | £8,209,113 |
| Electric BBQ | 4% | 1.5 | 74p | £832,329 |
| Electric lawn mower | 29% | 0.6 | 21p | £1,755,457 |
| Garden electric lights | 13% | 2.3 | 6p | £235,669 |
| Plug-in water feature | 7% | 2.2 | 2p | £42,726 |
Uswitch’s five tips for making savings in the garden
Hot tub running costs can add up: If you are thinking about buying a hot tub, make sure you check their energy efficiency. Pricier hot tubs are likely to be better insulated and could be a good investment as they will cost less to run long term. Make sure you get a well-fitted cover that forms an air-tight seal to avoid losing heat and using more energy.
Let the grass grow: At only 21p a time on average, mowing the lawn is not a big contributor to energy bills[4], but households looking to make savings could reduce the number of times they cut the grass — which can also be beneficial for insects, hedgehogs and wild flowers.
Ditch the patio heater: When the garden gets chilly in the evening, patio heaters may seem like an easy way to warm up, but they can be costly to run. Electric patio heaters can vary a lot in power consumption, and commonly use between 1.5kW and 3kW. A 2.4kW unit would cost 54p per hour to run[7].
Use the sun’s power: Solar-powered lights can make a great alternative to electric garden lighting. They’re much more versatile as you can position them wherever you want as you don’t need to be near a power source, and will save you money in the long run as they are powered by the sun.
Use your garden to cut your laundry bill: If you have a garden or balcony, you can make use of the warmer weather by hanging clothes outside to dry. The average tumble dryer costs households 68p per cycle.
Ben Gallizzi, energy expert at Uswitch.com, comments: “It’s finally sunny after a slow start to the summer, and many of us have begun flocking to our gardens to make use of barbecues and hot tubs.
“Running outdoor appliances during the summer is always cheaper than using the heating in the winter, but there are many ways people could use their gadgets more efficiently.
“Hot tubs are the biggest garden energy guzzlers, as they need to be kept at an ambient temperature so they are ready to be used.
“When buying any new gadget or appliance for the garden, remember to weigh up not just purchase price, but how much they will cost to run. Sometimes the most energy efficient devices are more expensive — but they will save you money in the long run.
“If you want to see how changing your energy habits makes a difference to your bills, make sure you’re tracking your usage. The Utrack by Uswitch app connects to your smart meter and can show you the impact on bills with hourly graphs, comparing gas and electricity use by day, week, month and year.”
To find out how much energy you’re using, download the Utrack by Uswitch app here and connect to your smart meter.
About Uswitch
Uswitch is one of the UK’s top comparison websites for home services switching, including energy, broadband and mobiles.
More people go to Uswitch to switch their energy, broadband and mobile than any other site, and we have saved consumers over £2.7 billion off their bills since we launched in September 2000.
Free mobile app Utrack also helps households manage their home energy usage and make potential savings.
Uswitch is part of RVU, a group of online brands with a mission to empower consumers to make more confident home services, insurance and financial decisions.
Notes
Research conducted online by Opinium, 29th April to 3rd May 2022, among 2,000 UK residents, weighted to be nationally representative.
1. Respondents were asked, ‘Which of the following do you have?’ 29% said electric lawn mower, 13% garden electric lights, 7% said plug-in water feature, 5% said hot tub, 4% said electric barbecue. 29% of 28.2 million UK households = 8.2 million households, 13% of 28.2 million = 3.7 million, 7% of 28.2 million UK households = 2 million households, 5% of 28.2 million UK households = 1.4 million households, 4% of 28.2 million UK households = 1.1 million.
Respondents were asked, ‘For how long per week do you use each of these appliances?’
Lawn mower users said 0.6 hours, electric light owners said 2.3 hours, plug-in water feature owners said 2.2 hours, hot tub users said 1.6 hours, electric barbecue users said 1.5 hours.
2.Electric barbecue: 1.5 hours x 2.2 kW x 22.4p/kWh = £0.74 per house. £0.74 x 1.1 million = £812,000 a week.
Charcoal BBQ: 1 kg meat needs 1 kg charcoal. 4.5 kg charcoal = £5. 5/4.5 = £1.11 for 1.5 hours of cooking.
3. Research conducted online by Opinium, 1st to 5th March 2024, among 2,000 UK adults, weighted to be nationally representative. Respondents were asked ‘Which, if any, of the following do you have in your home? Please select all that apply’. 7% have a hot tub. 7% of 28.2 million UK households = 1,974,000 households with a hot tub.
4. WhatSpa?: How much does it cost to run a hot tub?
5. Respondents were asked ‘How has your hot tub usage changed due to the energy crisis?’ 16% said ‘I only use it on special occasions’, 14% said ‘I’ve massively reduced the amount of time I use it and turn it off when it’s not in use’, 13% said ‘I’ve slightly reduced the amount of time I use it and turn it off when it’s not in use’, 13% said ‘I’ve slightly reduced the amount of time I use it but it’s always running to keep the water warm’, 11% said ‘I still use it all year round and it’s always running to keep the water warm’, 10% said ‘I’ve massively reduced the amount of time I use it but it’s always running to keep the water warm’, 7% said ‘I still use it all year round but I turn it off when it’s not in use’, 6% said ‘N/A – My hot tub usage has not changed due to the energy crisis’, 4% said ‘I’ve stopped using it’, 6% said ‘Don’t know / not sure’.
6. Electric mower: 0.6 hours x 1.6 kW x 22.4p/kWh = £0.21 a week per house. £0.21 x 8.2million = £1,755,457 a week.
7. Plug-in water feature: 2.2 hours x 0.044 kW x 22.4p/kWh = £0.02 per house. £0.02 x 2 million = £42,726 a week.
8. Garden electric lights: 2.3 hours x 0.125 kW x 22.4p/kWh = £0.09 per house. £0.06 x 3.7 million = £235,669 a week
9. Patio heater: 1 hour x 2.4 kW x 22.4p/kWh = 72p an hour.