Is it cheaper to run a fan (not a cieling fan) or turn the AC on? How much?
Question:My roommate has a big stand up fan with 3 fans on it and would rather turn the air down to 65* when she's hot than turn it on. I'm pretty sure is cheaper to turn on the fan, but she says it's cheaper to run the AC...thoughts?
Answers:
Set you A/C at 78 and turn on the fans. Your comfort is governed by two factors. Humidity and air movement. The A/C at 78 will keep the humidity manageable and the air movement will keep you feeling cool.
The cost factors are related to the size of your A/C but lets just figure that the average apartment here in Florida.
It costs me about $100.00 per month to run my A/C here in Tampa but in other areas of the country and in different types of residences it can be much more (I once had a mobile home that cost over $300.00 per month in Texas to cool).
The average household fan costs about $3.00 per month to run...you do the math!
Good luck!
Much cheaper to run the fan.
It is cheaper by FAR to use the fans.
A typical 5000-6000 btu AC (for small rooms) draws around 5 Amps of electricity. Larger ACs will use more.
A fan may draw between .5 and 2 amps.
So your AC is most likely using 5 times the electricity of the fan!
You can find information on the labels on the back of electrical appliances for how many amps they draw.
Much cheaper to run the fan.
How much depends on your utility rates, but compare the usage.
Room A/C uses between 90 and 726 KilowattHours per month
Central A/C uses between 850 and 3,000 KwH per month
Portable Fan uses between 2 and 6 KwH per month
More Related Questions & Answers...