The surprising truth about your fan's electricity use
An expert breaks down the numbers and shows that staying cool doesn’t have to break the bank
If you’ve been tempted to switch off your fan at night because it uses “a lot of electricity,” you’re not alone. That familiar phrase is heard in homes across Spain this summer. But according to energy experts, the reality is quite different… and much more reassuring.With temperatures soaring into the 40s in many parts of the country, fans are one of the most in-demand summer essentials. In fact, during the most recent heatwave, sales of fans jumped by an incredible 91% as people looked for more affordable ways to stay cool.
The good news is, running a fan isn’t likely to send your electricity bill through the roof, when compared to air conditioning. In fact, it costs surprisingly little. Electrical expert Sergio Llorente recently shared a breakdown on Instagram, using a 50-watt fan set to medium speed. He ran it for eight hours each night (enough for a full night’s sleep) and calculated the monthly cost at a meagre 75 cents.
To put that in further context, that’s less than €3 if you use it every night throughout the four hottest months of the year: June, July, August and September. This estimate is based on an average electricity price of €0.15 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), which is fairly typical across Spanish households. Of course, if your tariff is higher or lower, you can adjust accordingly, but the cost is still going to be low.
Another way of looking at it is by the hour. Fans of this type use around 0.021 kWh per hour. Over eight hours, that’s just 0.168 kWh. Multiply that by €0.15, and you get roughly 2.5 cents per night. Even with daily use, you’re likely only spending between 60 cents and €3.30 a month.
Compared to air conditioning, which can cost upwards of €36 per month if used daily, the difference is clear. “It’s cheaper than a bottle of water at the petrol station,” Llorente pointed out.
That’s not to say you should leave the fan running when you don’t need it. Experts still recommend switching it off when you leave the room, or using it strategically during the hottest parts of the day and night. Pairing it with open windows to create a cross-breeze can also make a big difference.
And of course, it’s worth checking your energy tariff. Many homes in Spain are on time-of-use plans, meaning certain hours are cheaper than others. If you can, try to run appliances during off-peak times for maximum savings.
Although there have also been concerns raised about the health implications of sleeping with the fan on all night, particularly for people with allergies or respiratory issues; the financial factor shouldn’t be a worry for most people.
So, if the choice is between sweating it out all night or switching on your fan, you can now rest easy knowing that comfort doesn’t have to come at a high price.
Image: Antonio_Cansino/Pixabay
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