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Running the AC probably costs 20 times more in electricity than turning on a fan. But remember, fans do NOT cool the air or remove moisture/humidity, they cool YOU by evaporating your perspiration so you feel cooler. If having a fan on enables you to delay using the AC up to a higher temperature than you would without a fan, then you've saved money.
That's what I do - I use ceiling fans in the ROOM I AM IN - living room after work/weekends and bedroom at night - otherwise the fans are off because they cool PEOPLE, not the room! I set the air to only come on at 78 degrees, not 68 or 72. I feel as comfortable as I would if I'd turn the air on sooner, so I save money that way.
Quick look at Lowes, looking at specs at first one I clicked on, says 60W. So it'd be massively less than an AC unit, which is likely 500W and up, per window unit.
What we do, until we need to run the ac all day, is keep the house closed, with blinds down, while we are gone. Open everything up at night, when it is cooler outside than inside. We'll set up box fans in windows to make a draft. And sleep with the house fully open. Close in the morning. That helps, until about now, when the ac goes in and it's left on, as it won't cool off enough at night.
Ceiling fans move air. Period. AC extracts the heat from the air and dumps it somewhere else. AC also removes moisture from the air, and where I live in NC, that helps the comfort level a lot. But, I think the fans help you feel more comfortable than perhaps 2-3 degrees worth of cooling. Like you are happy at 75 instead of 72.
Our new house has ceiling fans in every room. Will we save money if we try to rely on them most of the time, instead of having the AC on all day?
Ceiling fan has a small motor to turn the blades, uses little energy. A/C is a massive system: it contains a compressor, condenser coil and a fan. Cold refrigerant is pumped through the evaporator coil. A fan blows air over the coil, and the refrigerant in the coil absorbs heat from the air. ... Hot, low-pressure refrigerant gas moves to the compressor... etc.
Rough estimates for how many watts an air conditioners uses are;
Central Air Conditioner – 3500 Watts
Central A/C Fan Only – Compressor Off – 750 Watts
Largest Window Units – 1440 Watts
Medium Window Unit – 900 Watts
Smallest Window Unit – 500 Watts
Room ceiling fan - 60 Watts
Now you have the picture
Could you rely on a room fan most of the time, instead of having the AC on all day?
That depends where you live, your house insulation, your windows ratings and what are they facing (rooms facing west are usually the hottest in a house), the temperature outside, humidity and many other factors.
If it's hot outside, and you use the fan, you won't get much relief.
What it does allow is to help you not set the AC as low. For example, instead of setting thermostat at 76, you can set it at 78 and a fan. The fan is especially helpful when you're working out indoors or just coming from hot conditions.
It's a complete waste of $ to run the fan on when no one is in the room btw.
It's a complete waste of $ to run the fan on when no one is in the room btw.
We don't do that anyway, because leaving appliances running when you're not home is also a possible fire hazard. I work in rescue services, if I had a fire at my house I would never hear the end of it.
There is a chart somewhere from research that I think the Navy did to determine how to best deal with the conditions on a submarine.
They determined that simply having air MOVING in an environment with relative humidity below 60% folks were fully capable of performing their duties comfortably at even 78ºF but if the humidity increased above 65% even having lots of air movement made the temps above 73º feel "too hot". In still air the "gold standard" is 72º and 50% humidity. That 5-6º and 5-15% humidity difference may not seem like much but whether you are running a submarine or paying an electric bill it makes a HUGE difference on the demands of the HVAC...
So the take away is that IF you use the central air primarily to reduce humidity and keep the temps to a pretty warm 78º but use ceiling fans t keep the air in the room(s) you are sitting in MOVING you can save LOTS compared to running the AC to a lower temperature...
We don't do that anyway, because leaving appliances running when you're not home is also a possible fire hazard. I work in rescue services, if I had a fire at my house I would never hear the end of it.
OT: growing up, my friend's dad was a volunteer FF. Yep: he got the call one night, to his own house (fire started just before dinner, so he was at work). No idea if he got picked on for it, but it was a total loss.
Running the AC probably costs 20 times more in electricity than turning on a fan. But remember, fans do NOT cool the air or remove moisture/humidity, they cool YOU by evaporating your perspiration so you feel cooler. If having a fan on enables you to delay using the AC up to a higher temperature than you would without a fan, then you've saved money.
That's what I do - I use ceiling fans in the ROOM I AM IN - living room after work/weekends and bedroom at night - otherwise the fans are off because they cool PEOPLE, not the room! I set the air to only come on at 78 degrees, not 68 or 72. I feel as comfortable as I would if I'd turn the air on sooner, so I save money that way.
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No idea if he got picked on for it, but it was a total loss.
