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How Much Does It Cost to Run a Ceiling Fan in California? (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 $0.017 per hour, or about $4.20 per month at 8 hours a day in California. Cheap to run
| Wattage | Per hour | Per day | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low (15 W) | $0.005 | $0.042 | $1.26 | $15.33 |
| Typical (50 W) | $0.017 | $0.14 | $4.20 | $51.10 |
| High (90 W) | $0.032 | $0.25 | $7.56 | $91.98 |
Formula: watts ÷ 1000 × hours × price per kWh. Typical use is 8 h/day ≈ 146 kWh per year.
In California, with electricity at $0.35 per kWh (source: EIA Table 5.6.A, 2026-06), a typical ceiling fan costs $0.017 per hour and about $51.10 per year at 8 hours a day. That is about 94% more than the US national average of $2.16 per month, because electricity in California costs $0.35 per kWh against $0.18 nationally. Each $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
- United States (average)
- California
- Texas
- New York
- Florida
- Canada (average)
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Australia
- India