How Much Does It Cost to Run a Ceiling Fan in Australia? (2026)
Ceiling fans do not cool the air, they cool people through air movement. At 15 to 90 watts they cost a tiny fraction of an air conditioner, which is why the best strategy is to run both and raise the AC thermostat.
A typical ceiling fan (50 W) costs A$0.017 per hour, or about A$4.20 per month at 8 hours a day in Australia. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low 15 W | A$0.005 | A$0.042 | A$1.26 | A$5.04 |
| Typical 50 W | A$0.017 | A$0.14 | A$4.20 | A$16.80 |
| High 90 W | A$0.032 | A$0.25 | A$7.56 | A$30.24 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 8 h/day for about 120 days a year (the cooling season) ≈ 48 kWh per year.
One day of a ceiling fan (1.2 kWh) is the same electricity as
- 6.7km in an electric car
- 12hours of TV
- 27hours of a laptop
- 133hours of an LED bulb
In Australia, with electricity at 35.0¢ per kWh (source: AER Default Market Offer 2026–27, 2026-07), a typical ceiling fan costs A$0.017 per hour and about A$16.80 per year at 8 hours a day. Each A$1.00 of electricity buys roughly 57.1 hours of use.
How to lower the cost of running a ceiling fan
- Turn the fan off when you leave the room. It only helps if someone is there to feel the breeze.
- Set the blades to spin counterclockwise in summer and clockwise at low speed in winter.
- DC motor fans use about 70 percent less power than older AC motor models.
- Fans with built-in lights add 10 to 40 watts when the light is on.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to run a ceiling fan all day?
A 50 watt fan on for 24 hours uses 1.2 kWh, about the same as a window AC unit running for one hour.
Does a ceiling fan use more electricity on high?
Yes, roughly three times more than on low, but still far less than any cooling appliance.
Is it cheaper to run a fan or an AC?
A fan, by a factor of 10 to 30. But a fan cannot lower the room temperature.
Cost by region
US states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Canadian provinces
Related appliances
- Electric Blanket100 W typical
- Heat Pump (Ducted or Mini-Split)2,000 W typical
- Baseboard Heater1,500 W typical
- Portable Fan (Box or Pedestal)50 W typical
Use the generic electricity cost calculator · Which uses more? Take the quiz