We’re always told to turn off electrical appliances when we leave the room. Whether it’s a television or the lights, it’s a waste of electricity and will cost you money.
But does that apply to ceiling fans? They keep air moving when you’re not home, but does it do any good? Will it cost you a lot of money?
We took a look at the issue and wrote this article to answer those questions. Hopefully, it’ll help clear things up for you.
In This Article We'll Discuss
Should You Leave Ceiling Fans on When You’re Not Home?
It’s rarely a good idea to leave electrical appliances running when no one is home because it costs you money.
Ceiling fans will continue to move air around, however, so you could argue that it is beneficial to allow them to run.
If the thermostat for your central air is in an area where warm air accumulates, a ceiling fan that keeps air moving will help moderate the temperature in that part of the room. That will prevent the furnace from running longer than necessary.
Otherwise, running a ceiling fan when no one is home just costs you money.
Should You Leave a Ceiling Fan on When a Room is Empty?
You should note that a ceiling fan doesn’t cool a room, it cools the people in the room. But, it can help move humid air around to reduce a home’s overall mugginess.
So, while you will definitely want to turn a ceiling fan off when you leave the house, it is less important if you just leave the room. Also, if you’re home, you might decide to spend time in different rooms. That includes one where the fan is already running.
How Much Does it Cost to Leave a Ceiling Fan on all the Time?
Leaving a ceiling fan on when you’re not around costs very little money. You can calculate how much based on the energy use of your fan and the rate you pay your electrical provider.
Let’s assume you have a 60-watt fan in a state where the going rate is 20 cents a kilowatt-hour, or $.20. Multiply the two for 12. Then, you’ll need to divide by 1,000 because you are charged by the kilowatt, or 1000 watts.
That comes out to $.012, or 1.2 cents per hour to run your ceiling fan.
Conclusion
You won’t break the bank running a fan in a room when no one is present, but it’s not necessarily a good idea. If your fan is connected to your central air system, it can help keep air properly distributed so you can save money. Otherwise, just shut it off.
We hope you found this article useful. If you did, or have an experience you’d like to share, feel free to leave us a comment. Or share this article on your social media networks.