How much more cost-efficient is a ceiling fan compared to a window air conditioner?
While a ceiling fan may not provide the same cooling effect as an air conditioning unit, it can reduce the perceived temperature by 3 or 4 degrees, which many be a sufficient cooling effect on most days. Consider that it costs 1 to 2 cents per hour to run a ceiling fan, compared to 25 cents (approx.) per hour to run an air conditioner (assuming 12,000 BTU, 9-10 EER). On hotter days when it is necessary to run the air conditioner, it can save you money to run both the ceiling fan and the air conditioner at the same time. While this may seem counter-intuitive, the ceiling fan works to distribute the cold air from the air conditioner throughout the room, making the air conditioner work less, thus saving you money.
