Using a fan in the summer is an economical way to combat high temperatures. While it’s not the same as turning on an air conditioner, which could lower the temperature in a room, it does move the air, and if the heat isn’t excessive, it should be sufficient. Most models have different modes you can configure. Is there really a difference in terms of consumption? We’ll discuss that in this article.
Typically, there are three modes: low, medium, and high speed. Some more advanced models may have a night mode, which is quieter and has low speed, as well as oscillating, intermittent, and other modes. You can primarily configure the speed at which the blades move. The higher the speed, the higher the consumption.
Difference in consumption in different fan modes
If you’re wondering whether or not there’s actually a difference in power consumption when using one mode or another on the fan, the answer is relative. As a starting point, you should know that a fan consumes very little compared to other appliances, such as an air conditioner. Typically, power is between 40 and 100 W. It rarely exceeds that figure. For comparison, an air conditioner typically consumes between 800 and 2000 W.
In the case of a fan with a power of 60 W , which would be common, it means that this is the maximum power it will require. This doesn’t mean it will always consume the same amount. That’s where the different modes come into play. If you set it to maximum, at high speed, then it would require that 60 W of power. If you set it to low or medium speed, it could consume around 25-30 W and 40-45 W, respectively. This will depend on each model.
As you can see, there’s a difference in power consumption, but you’re already assuming the fan uses little. In the example we’ve provided, the difference could be as much as 30-35 W. If your fan has a higher power, such as 100 W, the savings would likely be more noticeable.
Something similar will happen with the different night modes and others we’ve mentioned. The difference won’t be huge, as long as each model’s maximum power is the limit.
The more you use it, the more you save.
But what does this translate to in monetary terms? To give you an idea, the current price per kWh , according to the CNMC’s price comparison tool , has been €0.17 for the last 7 days. If you use a 60 W fan and leave it on for an hour, you would be consuming 60 Wh, which is approximately €0.01. For a full day, to give you a slightly higher figure, that would be around €0.24.
If you set it to low speed and it consumes 30 W, you’d be saving half that. Of those €0.24, you’d spend about €0.12. The savings, as you can see, are small, but if you extend this to the entire month, running it all day, you could save about €3.60 . Always keep in mind the price per kWh of €0.17, as this will depend on the rate you have, whether or not you have time discrimination, etc.
In conclusion, we can say that the difference between using the maximum speed mode and the minimum speed mode won’t be very noticeable on your monthly bill. You’d only notice it if you used the fan for many hours every day. This is something that could happen if, for example, you used it in a store, an office, at home all day, etc. In those cases, you could save some money during the month, although it will rarely be more than 3-4 euros.
Where you’d have much more leeway is if you used air conditioning. There, you can notice a difference when switching from one mode to another, in addition to adjusting the temperature correctly. It’s a device with much greater power, and that translates into higher costs.