There's no need to build up any suspense; ceiling fans can absolutely be a useful tool in lowering your monthly energy bill. Circulating air from ceiling fans facilitates extra evaporation of moisture from your skin, so you'll feel cooler at a given temperature with a fan than without one.
Unless you are physically in the room while the fan is on, it's not doing any good. If you're not there to benefit from the ceiling fan's air circulation, then you're just using more electricity. If your air conditioner isn't operating efficiently, then your ceiling fan isn't doing it any favors.
The Givoni or Woods diagrams show a direct relationship between air speed and the drop in temperature felt by users of the room. In this case, a ceiling fan will consume between 20 and 50 watts (still a long way from the consumption of an air-conditioning system (800 to 1500 watts, i.e. 30 to 40 times more).
Ceiling fans use 0.6 kWh to 0.9 kWh per day in electricity and are an energy-efficient way to cool your home, typically costing less than 20 cents a day to run the fan all day long. Central air conditioning is a far more expensive cooling option, costing nearly 50 times more to run than a ceiling fan.
When the California summer heat rolls in, pairing your AC with a ceiling fan is your best defense. By correctly setting the fan's direction, adjusting the thermostat, and a few other simple strategies, you can keep your home cool without driving up your energy bill.
Instead of running your AC at 72 degrees, a fan allows you to set your thermostat to 78, yet still feel as if it is about six degrees cooler. A fan costs pennies per day to operate versus dollars per day for the AC.
Thanks to the cooling properties of ceiling fans, you can help to reduce your monthly energy costs. Most central air conditioning systems cost around 43 cents per hour when they're on, which can really add up over time. On the other hand, a ceiling fan typically costs a paltry one penny to run per hour.
Heating and cooling: 45-50%
The largest electricity consumer in the average household is your heating and cooling appliance. By a long shot. Central air conditioners and heaters use tons of energy in order to keep your home set to the right temperature.
Operating the most robust ceiling fan typically costs only a few cents per hour, contrasting the average cost of running ducted air conditioning, ranging from $0.25 to $0.35 per hour. An air conditioner is much more effective in keeping a room cool and comfortable than a ceiling fan.
On average, modern TVs use around 100 watts, depending on the model. Larger screens require as much as 200 watts, so if you have a 50-inch-plus TV, you can double our calculations below.
The average cost per kWh in the US is currently $0.11, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). This means an AC unit could cost you from $5.17 to $5.94 per day to run. Or about $155-$178 per month you're running it.
The Disadvantages of Ceiling Fans
One of the downsides of ceiling fans is how noisy they can be. If you're trying to relax in a quiet room, the whirring sound of a ceiling fan can be distracting. And if you have a low ceiling, you may find the fan is too close to your head, making the noise even more noticeable.
In some states, like California, electricity prices can vary depending on the time of day. During peak hours, electricity may cost more. If you are blasting your air conditioning during peak hours, you can expect to pay a premium.
The short answer is that it depends on your kind of television and how big it is. It's also important to consider how long you're leaving your TV on each day. The more hours it's on, the more electricity it's using.
What costs the most on your electric bill? Heating and cooling are by far the greatest energy users in the home, making up around 40% of your electric bill. Other big users are washers, dryers, ovens, and stoves. Electronic devices like laptops and TVs are usually pretty cheap to run, but of course, it can all add up.
In conclusion, while ceiling fans do consume electricity, they are generally considered energy-efficient compared to other cooling options. They provide a cooling effect by creating a wind chill effect that makes you feel cooler, without actually lowering the room temperature.
Many modern ceiling fans are quite efficient and consume less than 30-watts when running at one of its low speeds. At an electric utility rate of 10-cents per kilowatt hour, running such a fan for four nights would cost ten cents.
Answer: You can— and should— run your A/C and ceiling fan together. Doing so can help lower your cooling costs each month, but only if you're using them right.
Using Ceiling Fans for Energy Savings
Your ceiling fan can be used in conjunction with your air conditioner to create better cooling conditions and possibly even save energy. The only time they don't help you save on electricity is if you run it without changing how you use your cooling system.
There is a common misconception that ceiling fans should be switched off, while using air conditioning. People believe that using fans and ACs together will throw away all the cool air outside the room. Today, let's bust this misconception. When we feel hot, anyone's first reaction is to turn the AC on.