What Uses Less Electricity: a Fan or an Air Conditioner?

A window-mounted air conditioner is one option for cooling your home.

Every summer, the electricity consumption of most households in America skyrockets as the air conditioner is switched on. The only alternative appliance for keeping cool is an electric fan. In choosing between the two, one useful fact is how much both appliances consume, and therefore how great the relative savings are.

Watts

The power consumed by an appliance is measured in watts, which represents the amount of electricity used during one hour of operation. The typical central air conditioning (CAC) unit uses 2,500 watts, while the typical ceiling fan uses 65 to 175 watts.

CAC vs. Window Units

CAC air conditioners are not the only model available. The window air conditioner averages 1,000 watts. This difference makes the window unit a less expensive way to cool a single room, but not efficient at cooling an entire house.

Practical Comparison

Many air conditioners have thermostats that activate the unit only to maintain a given temperature, and so therefore household air conditioners rarely run continuously. Fans usually are left on continuously, or at least while the room in question is in use. These factors must be accounted for when comparing the two.

References

• Kauai Island Utility Cooperative: Energy Use
• U.S. Department. of Energy: Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use