How much electricity does a ceiling fan use?

Ceiling fans use between around 5 to 75 watt hours of electricity. That doesn't sound like too much consumption at first, but it would still be a cost hog in a very hot summer if the fan was running continuously.

What does the power consumption of a fan depend on?

This determines the design. With better ceiling fans, the speed can be controlled. If a certain speed is controlled, this necessarily requires the power consumption specified by the design. What is interesting in this context, however, is the effect that the consumption in question has. The diameter of the fan can have a major impact on the cooling capacity.

A fan with a large diameter requires a lower speed than a small one for the same air movement ceiling fan, which has to work at a higher speed and thus consumes more current. However, a large fan is more suitable for large rooms in which a different air flow is produced than in a small and/or angled room. So the small models also have their place. If you want to buy a particularly efficient ceiling fan, look for the seal for energy efficiency. Quality Fans are rated A++ or A+.

In terms of power consumption, ceiling fans are often more efficient than smaller fans because they can move more air at a lower speed.
In terms of power consumption, ceiling fans are often more efficient than smaller fans because they can move more air at a lower speed.

Here is some consumption data from ceiling fans

It should be noted here that the list shows the maximum power consumption, which is measured when the fan is running at maximum power. In everyday life, a lower speed level may be sufficient, so that you also have less power consumption.

Important to know: The fans are of course of different sizes and are therefore designed for rooms of different sizes. Let's just take the two limits on the list here: The brand's Windwood Create with its 75 W power consumption is suitable for rooms up to 40 m², while the brand's mobile ceiling fan best living with 5 W is designed for the smallest rooms up to around 15 m².

What power consumption and what electricity costs do you have to reckon with when operating a ceiling fan? The answers are in this article.
What power consumption and what electricity costs do you have to reckon with when operating a ceiling fan? The answers are in this article.

Calculation of the electricity consumption over a complete year

In Germany in the summer of 2022 there were around 30 super-hot days on which the thermometer exceeded 35 °C in the shade. The number varies somewhat depending on the region, but we can assume this is the average value for the whole of Germany. On these days, a ceiling fan runs 10 hours a day. On the not so hot days with temperatures between 26 and 31 °C, it runs for around 5 hours. There were another 2022 of these days in Germany in 40. This means that the ceiling fan runs for 500 hours per summer. The price of electricity in Germany in September 2022 is 31,89 ct/kWh. Let's now calculate what the use of individual fans costs us per summer:

  • Power consumption 5 W (0,005 kW): 500 x 0,005 x 31,89 ct = 79,73 ct (for the entire summer, mind you!)
  • Power consumption 40 W (0,005 kW): 500 x 0,040 x 31,89 ct = €6,38
  • Power consumption 75 W (0,005 kW): 500 x 0,075 x 31,89 ct = €11,96

This calculation simply and shatteringly means: the ceiling fans are clearly not power guzzlers! This also applies if the price of electricity rises a little and the hot summer days don't get any less in the future, but actually get a little more. The latter is in fact to be feared, because it is well known that one heat record year follows the next.

Individual record values ​​are also noticed again and again. On July 20, 2022 at 15:31 p.m., the Sachsen-Anhaltinische DWD weather station Huy-Pabstorf For the first time since recording began, exactly 40,0 °C was measured in the shade. Important to know: There have been professional weather records in Germany since 1781 and more or less nationwide since the middle of the 19th century. In some regions, however, they only began in the 1960s. But the readings tell us: It's getting hotter, and quite quickly.

What cools better: ceiling fan or air conditioning?

Now let's look at the cooling effects of fans and air conditioners. The conclusion right away: A combination of both would be the ideal solution to really cool a room when it is very hot. In addition, the windows must be shaded.

But the most important point when comparing both cooling solutions concerns their costs. When making comparisons, however, it is important to note that an air conditioner actually reduces the temperature in the room, while a ceiling fan uses the "wind chill effect" to make the occupants feel cooler.

Ceiling fans cool the airflow in the room. This brushes against our skin and allows the skin to release more moisture into the air. This creates the cooling effect that we feel.

But now let's compare the initial and operating costs of ceiling fans and air conditioners:

  • Electricity costs: An air conditioner uses around 25 kWh/year = €300 to cool a 95,67 m² room. Our medium-sized ceiling fan with 40 W power consumption, which is roughly suitable for such a room, manages this at a price of €6,38 (see above).
  • Acquisition costs: Real air conditioning systems, the effect of which can be felt, cost from €2.500. Fans can be very cheap like our 5W model (~€12), larger models start at ~€120.

Of course, the cooling effects differ from each other. The ceiling fan cannot physically lower the room temperature, which is what an air conditioner does. But the fan also cools, just in a different way. With its air flow, it promotes evaporative cooling on our skin. This even works if you fan yourself out.

We sweat when it is hot, the sweat evaporates and absorbs thermal energy from the surrounding air for the physical transition from the liquid to the gaseous state of aggregation. The more air is supplied to it, which is caused by the airflow of the fan, the more sweat can evaporate. However, we must drink enough to produce enough sweat.

A ceiling fan is a great addition to an air conditioner, as it effectively disperses cool air throughout the room.
A ceiling fan is a great addition to an air conditioner, as it effectively disperses cool air throughout the room.

Why do people still rely on expensive air conditioners?

This has something to do with our desire for comfort. We would prefer not to sweat at all. But for a fan to cool, we have to. Air conditioners are a relatively modern invention, the first to be brought by the US engineer Willis Haviland Carrier 1911 on the market. In the millennia before that, people cooled themselves by seeking shade, fanning themselves, dousing themselves with water and, from the 18th century, also using fans (invented in 1740 by Stephen Hales, electric from 1902).

Conclusion on the power consumption of the devices

In view of the explosion in electricity prices, we will probably return to the good old fans and turn away from air conditioning systems in the future. In any case, the most important information is: Ceiling fans can be operated inexpensively and in a climate-friendly manner and they are much more economical in terms of acquisition and consumption costs than air conditioning systems.

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