We all want to do our part for the planet, and cut electricity costs to lower bills when we can too. But we don’t always want to sacrifice our comfort to do so.
A pedestal fan is often an essential gadget to help us keep cool, especially during the hotter months, but maybe you’re concerned about how much electricity they use…
Don’t worry, it’s likely to be less than you think! So, let’s dive into it and you’ll see that maybe a fan isn’t a luxury you need to give up just yet.
How Many Watts Does A Standing Pedestal Fan Use?
Wattage refers to the amount of electricity that an appliance or device needs in order to work. Different devices use different amounts of electricity, and that’s measured in watts.
Most standing fans will use around 40 watts, though it’ll vary depending on your chosen model. Some may go as low as 20 watts while others could be up to 80 watts. The exact amount of electricity used also depends on the setting you use on the fan.
Most pedestal fans have different speed settings – it’s rare to find one that just has an on/off switch. The advertised wattage of a fan will be based on the max setting, unless the manual says otherwise. Using the fan on a lower setting will mean the fan uses fewer watts.
The watts used by your fan will also be determined by its material and size. Basically, the heavier the blades, the better a job they’ll do at moving air around, but the more power needed to turn them.
Do Pedestal Fans Use a Lot of Electricity?
At an average of 40 watts, pedestal fans tend to use a lot less electricity than some other cooling methods. They’re one of the most energy-efficient solutions for cooling the air in your home – although they are generally less effective than more powerful cooling methods like air conditioning.
Air conditioning units are a lot more power-hungry than pedestal fans. You can expect a window AC to use between 500 and 1,500 watts depending on the size of the unit, while a central AC will consume around 3,500 watts when the compressor is in use.
The watts used by a ceiling fan will depend on the size of the fan, but the average is around 75 watts. This is almost double that of a pedestal fan, but you’ll probably find that it does a better job of cooling the room.
So, if you’re comparing the different options for keeping cool in the summer, a pedestal fan is by far the most energy-efficient as it has the lowest wattage, but it’s usually not the most powerful.
How Much Electricity Does A Pedestal Fan Use Per Hour?
Most pedestal fans use between 20 and 80 watt-hours per hour, with an average of 40 watt-hours. This is a really low amount compared to a lot of other household appliances, including other cooling methods such as ceiling fans and air conditioning units.
As pedestal fans are low wattage, you shouldn’t be concerned that leaving them on for long periods will run up your electricity bill – it won’t. That said, it makes sense to switch off the fan when you’re not in the room.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Pedestal Fan?
The cost of running a pedestal fan for an hour depends on your electricity price. For an average 40-watt-hours-per-hour fan, you’ll pay less than 1 cent per hour for using a fan, making it a cost-effective solution for cooling your home.
The price of electricity varies depending on where you live – you can see some recent average prices here. Electricity prices are given in kilowatt-hours, with 1 kWh being the same as 1000 watt-hours.
All you need to do is multiply the kWh cost of electricity by the number of kilowatts a device uses. As the average number of watt-hours used by a pedestal fan is 40, that means it uses 0.04 kilowatt-hours per hour.
So, if you’re paying 14 cents per kWh, you’d multiply 14 by 0.04 to get the hourly cost of using the fan, which is 0.56 cents per hour – just over half a cent.
To work out how much an appliance costs per hour, you can use this formula:
Kilowatts X Cost of Energy
So
0.04 x 14 cents = 0.56 cents per hour
If you live somewhere at the higher rate of electricity at around 23 cents per kWh, then you’ll be paying 0.92 cents every hour, still less than 1 cent.
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Pedestal Fan Per Day?
If you were to run a pedestal fan for the working day, assuming 8 hours, then it would cost you between 2 and 15 cents to run, depending on the cost of your electricity and the power draw of the fan. The average cost is around 4 cents per day.
Here are some examples, assuming a run-time of 8 hours:
| Pedestal Fan Power | Electricity Cost | Cost To Run 8 Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 20 watts | 12c/kWh | $0.02 |
| 20 watts | 23c/kWh | $0.04 |
| 40 watts | 12c/kWh | $0.04 |
| 40 watts | 23c/kWh | $0.07 |
| 80 watts | 12c/kWh | $0.08 |
| 80 watts | 23c/kWh | $0.15 |
How Much Does It Cost To Run A Pedestal Fan 24/7
If you pay the average rate for your electricity in the US, running a pedestal fan 24/7 will cost you $4 per month. However, if you pay more for your electricity and have a more powerful standing fan, it could cost as much as $12 per month.
There are many different sizes of fan that use different amounts of power. If you’re using a smaller desktop fan, then it’s likely to use less power than a standing fan or floor fan.
Here’s a guide to how much it’ll cost you to run your fan for 24 hours, and for a full year if you leave it on 24/7:
| Pedestal Fan Power | Electricity Cost | Cost To Run 24 Hours | Cost to Run 24/7 For A Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 watts | 12c/kWh | $0.06 | $21 |
| 20 watts | 23c/kWh | $0.11 | $40 |
| 40 watts | 12c/kWh | $0.12 | $42 |
| 40 watts | 23c/kWh | $0.22 | $81 |
| 80 watts | 12c/kWh | $0.23 | $84 |
| 80 watts | 23c/kWh | $0.44 | $161 |
While these are useful stats, it’s worth remembering that a lot of people won’t be using a pedestal fan every day of the year. If you use one at your desk for work, you likely won’t need it at weekends.
And unless you live in a tropical location, you won’t be using it during the cooler winter months, only during summer. It’s rare that you’ll need to spend $160 a year for a fan to keep you cool.
Plus, you need to consider the effectiveness of a standing fan over long periods of time. They don’t actively cool the air, they just move air around, which helps to create a cooling effect. But over longer periods of time, you won’t notice the impact as much.
Standing fans are better used in shorter bursts, although you can improve the impact by placing a bowl of ice in front of the fan so that it’s blowing colder air towards you.
What Consumes More Electricity – A Ceiling Fan or Pedestal Fan?
The average ceiling fan consumes more electricity than the average pedestal fan. Ceiling fans generally consume 55 to 100 watts, with an average of 75 watts, while pedestal fans use between 20 and 80 watts, with an average of 40 watts.
An oscillating fan will use slightly more watts than a simple standing fan, as it needs the extra power to drive the motor to turn the fan from side to side, but it will still use less power than an average ceiling fan.
Of course, the flip side to that is that ceiling fans are more effective at cooling a room, as they’re centrally located and have larger blades that can circulate more air. They also don’t take up useable space in the room.
But, if you don’t have a ceiling fan already, then it’s a lot more costly to get one installed. And if you only want to cool a specific area of the room – such as the desk where you’re working – a pedestal fan is just as effective.
Is A Standing Fan Worth it?
A standing fan is clearly one of the cheapest ways you can keep cool during the warmer months. With average fans using just 40 watts, you’re going to be spending somewhere between 12 and 22 cents to run it for an entire 24 hours, which is extremely low.
They are far from the most effective cooling solutions for your home though, so they’re best used in shorter bursts and from a short distance. They won’t be great at cooling a whole room. Ceiling fans will do a better job of that but will cost more, with air conditioning units being the most effective and significantly more expensive.
Suggested read: Air Conditioner Vs Fan Electricity Usage
If you’re only planning on cooling a specific area – the desk where you’re working, or the kitchen while you’re cooking – then they are absolutely worth the minimal electricity cost.
