Heatwave: Fans out, air con in

As the first heatwave of 2023 hits the UK, PriceSpy, the price and product comparison service, reveals how Brits are adapting to longer, hotter summers - and how prices in shops are changing in line with the temperature.

Panic-buying: popularity of fans and air conditioning units spike during heatwaves

In July 2022 - when much of the UK experienced 40 degree heat - searches for fans spiked 247% and searches for air conditioning units spiked by 329% compared to June.

Looking more recently, searches for air conditioning units within the last two weeks are up by 1,350% compared to the same time in 2022***.

Fans out, air con in

The popularity of fans has dropped by 24%, whilst interest in portable air conditioning units has skyrocketed by 200%**, with Brits prepared to spend more money to deal with an increasing number and intensity of heat waves

Heatwave price rises

At the time of writing, PriceSpy is seeing significant price rises on key heatwave products:

• • Portable air conditioners had an average price of £3,245 in 2022. So far in 2023, the average price is £3,799 (an increase of 17%)

  • Fans had an average price of £95 in 2022. So far in 2023, the average price is £104 (an increase of 9%)

  • BBQs had an average price of £448 in 2022. So far in 2023, the average price is £567 (an increase of 27%)
    
    Though thankfully, some prices also seem to be falling:

  • Suncreams had an average price of £15 in 2022. So far in 2023, the average price is £13 (a price drop of 13%)

  • Swimming & paddling pools had an average price of £212 in 2022.  So far in 2023, the average price is £142 (a price drop of 33%)

Liisa Matinvesi-Bassett, UK country manager at PriceSpy, comments on these trends: “Fans are generally cheaper to buy and cheaper to run than air con, but they’re not always effective at actually cooling a room. Portable air conditioning units can be an expensive purchase, yet are much more effective and the surging popularity of them clearly demonstrates how far Brits are prepared to go to keep themselves comfortable during increasingly hot summers.”

 

 

“Whilst the average price across all portable air conditioning units is alarmingly high, the average price of the top 10 most popular models is actually £263. Showing that there are models to suit all budgets.”

 

*Data accurate as of 4th June 2023

**4th March - 4th June 2023 compared to 4th March - 4th June 2022

***28th May - 11th June 2023 compared to 28th May - 11th June 2022