Energy & ecology
How much does a night under a ceiling fan cost? The calculation to the cent, versus air conditioning
Published on ·4 min read
We know a fan uses little power. We know less how much exactly, and we do not always dare to leave it running all night, out of thrift. The calculation below uses real figures, from a plug-in meter and the regulated electricity tariff.
Result: a night under a ceiling fan costs less than a stamp. We then apply the same figures to the light, to winter, and compare with the two summer alternatives, the tower fan and the portable air conditioner.
Real consumption, speed by speed
A 107 cm ceiling fan with a copper motor draws, motor alone, about 5 to 10 W at speed 1, 15 to 20 W at speed 3, and 30 to 40 W at speed 6. These are values measured at the socket, not nameplate figures, which state maximum power.
Nights are spent at speed 1 or 2: call it 8 W. Eight hours at 8 W is 64 Wh, 0.064 kWh. At around 0.25 euros per kWh, the night costs 1.6 cents. A hundred summer nights, 1.60 euros. Even at speed 3 all night, you stay under 4 cents.
- ·Speed 1: 5 to 10 W, about 1 to 2 cents a night
- ·Speed 3: 15 to 20 W, about 3 to 4 cents a night
- ·Speed 6: 30 to 40 W, about 6 to 8 cents a night
- ·Summer of 100 nights at low speed: 1 to 2 euros
The light: what the LED ceiling light costs
The integrated LED of a fan with light draws 15 to 25 W at full power for 2,000 lumens, and proportionally less when dimmed. Three hours an evening at 20 W is 60 Wh, 1.5 cents. Over a year, 365 evenings, about 5.50 euros. An old 120 W halogen ceiling light on the same use cost 33 euros.
By replacing a halogen ceiling light with an LED fan, the lighting saving alone, 25 to 30 euros a year, funds the fan's entire consumption, summer and winter, with change to spare.
The Boréal 107
Retractable blades · Ø 107 cm · LED ceiling light & silent fan
- ✓Retractable blades: invisible when off, nobody guesses it's a fan
- ✓Sleep with windows closed, 30 dB, quieter than a whisper
- ✓Integrated LED 2700K → 6000K, dimmable: replaces your ceiling light
Winter: 5 W that lower the heating
In winter mode, reverse rotation at speed 1, the unit runs eight hours a day for five months: 150 days at 8 hours at 6 W, 7.2 kWh, under 2 euros for the whole season. On the other side, evening out the air lets you lower the thermostat by 1 to 2 °C at equal comfort, 7 to 14 % less heating for the room.
For a living room whose heating costs 500 euros a winter, that is 35 to 70 euros saved. The fan is no longer an expense: it is a saving, with a ratio of 20 to 35 to 1 between what it earns and what it uses.
Versus the tower and the portable air conditioner: the same summer, in euros
A tower fan draws 40 to 60 W: a hundred nights at medium speed, 40 kWh, 10 euros. Five times the ceiling fan, for a localised jet and 50 dB. A 1,000 W portable air conditioner running eight hours a night, with its cycles, uses 6 to 8 kWh a night: 100 nights, 600 to 800 kWh, 150 to 200 euros, plus the hose at the window letting hot air in and 55 dB of noise.
The Boréal 107 therefore sits at 1 to 2 euros a summer at low speed, lighting included in a handful of euros a year, and it earns 35 to 70 euros in winter. Bought at 157 euros, it is repaid by its energy savings in two to three years, before even counting comfort. It is the only cooling equipment whose running cost is negligible and whose purchase cost pays itself back.
A night under a ceiling fan costs 1 to 2 cents, a summer 1 to 2 euros, the light a few euros a year, and winter mode earns 35 to 70 euros per room. Against a portable air conditioner at 150 to 200 euros a summer, the question of leaving the unit on all night no longer arises. The Boréal 107, copper motor and dimmable LED, is made to run without counting.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a ceiling fan use per night?+
At speed 1 or 2, 5 to 10 W, 40 to 80 Wh for eight hours: 1 to 2 cents at 0.25 euros per kWh. A hundred summer nights cost 1 to 2 euros. At speed 6 you rise to 6 to 8 cents a night.
Does a ceiling fan use less than a portable air conditioner?+
A hundred times less. A ceiling fan at low speed draws 5 to 10 W; a portable air conditioner 1,000 W with its cycles, 6 to 8 kWh a night. Over a summer, 1 to 2 euros versus 150 to 200 euros.
Can a ceiling fan be left on all night?+
Yes, that is its intended use. At low speed it costs 1 to 2 cents a night and a copper motor is built to run thousands of hours. A timer on the remote also lets you stop it in the early morning if you prefer.
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