subject: The Cost Of Ceiling Fans Vs. Air Conditioning: Whats The Difference? [print this page] As it turns out, quite a bitAs it turns out, quite a bit. The summer sun is heating up our homes and causing many of us to switch on our air conditioners. Sure, its expensive, but its the only way to keep cool.
Or is it? Ceiling fans can actually do the job just as well, and the difference in both the energy and economical cost of ceiling fans compared to air conditioners is immense. Last summer the New York Times reported that, on average:
A central A/C unit runs about 3 kilowatts and costs about 36 cents per hour
A window A/C unit runs on 1.2 kilowatts and costs about 14 cents per hour
A ceiling fan runs on only 30 watts and costs about 1 cent per hour
We spend billions of dollars every year on the electricity costs of air conditioning, accounting for up to 15% of the energy used in many homes and even representing up to 70% of the summer electric bill of people living in climates that are warm year-round.
The energy cost of ceiling fans, on the other hand, is much different. Whereas a 2.5-ton central air conditioner uses about 3,500 watts and a window A/C unit typically uses between 500 to 1,500 watts, a ceiling fan uses only 15 to 95 watts depending on its size and speed.
Looking at those New York Times statistics that compared the cost of ceiling fans versus air conditioning a little further, we can do the math on the monthly costs:
A central A/C unit would cost about $129.60 per month
A window A/C unit would cost about $50.40 per month
Each ceiling fan would cost about $1.20 per month
Thats a whopping 99% decrease in cooling costs when you use ceiling fans instead of air conditioners. But you dont have to choose one or the other. One of the biggest cost savings of ceiling fans is that they can be used with your air conditioner. Ceiling fans enable you to actually lower your air conditioner settings by as much as 12 degrees while still keeping your home just as cool as if you were exclusively using your A/C unit. You just save money. And although the environmental cost of ceiling fans cant be measured as specifically, making the switch from air conditioning to ceiling fans has an incalculable effect on our natural resources as well.
In addition to only costing about a penny an hour to run, ceiling fans are easy to use. Just like turning a light on and off, a ceiling fan doesnt need to run when youre out of the room. It cools you by triggering evaporation from your skin and, since they force hot air down and away from you, a ceiling fan can actually make you feel about 8 degrees cooler.
If you have sticker shock from your last electric bill and want to learn more about the difference in both the economic and environmental cost of ceiling fans, visit www.CeilingFan.com or call 877.724.2326.
