Home Compare Portable Fan (Box or Pedestal) vs Air Conditioner (Window Unit): Which Costs More to Run? (2026)
A fan uses 20 to 30 times less electricity than a window air conditioner, but it cannot lower the room temperature. In dry heat or mild summers, a fan alone is enough. In humid heat, the AC is the only thing that works, and the cheapest strategy is to run both: the fan lets you set the AC a few degrees higher.
At the hours shown, Portable Fan (Box or Pedestal) costs about
$8.80 a year and Air Conditioner (Window Unit) about
$176.06 in the US .
Electricity price region United States (average) – 18.3¢/kWh Canada (average) – 14.0¢/kWh United Kingdom – 26.3p/kWh Germany – €0.370/kWh France – €0.200/kWh Australia – 35.0¢/kWh India – ₹6.00/kWh Alabama – 16.4¢/kWh Alaska – 28.2¢/kWh Arizona – 15.2¢/kWh Arkansas – 14.1¢/kWh California – 34.7¢/kWh Colorado – 17.1¢/kWh Connecticut – 24.3¢/kWh Delaware – 19.3¢/kWh District of Columbia – 24.4¢/kWh Florida – 15.1¢/kWh Georgia – 16.4¢/kWh Hawaii – 52.7¢/kWh Idaho – 14.4¢/kWh Illinois – 19.9¢/kWh Indiana – 17.5¢/kWh Iowa – 15.9¢/kWh Kansas – 15.7¢/kWh Kentucky – 14.3¢/kWh Louisiana – 13.5¢/kWh Maine – 29.6¢/kWh Maryland – 21.8¢/kWh Massachusetts – 29.6¢/kWh Michigan – 23.0¢/kWh Minnesota – 17.5¢/kWh Mississippi – 14.9¢/kWh Missouri – 16.2¢/kWh Montana – 15.1¢/kWh Nebraska – 13.2¢/kWh Nevada – 13.1¢/kWh New Hampshire – 27.0¢/kWh New Jersey – 24.9¢/kWh New Mexico – 15.1¢/kWh New York – 29.5¢/kWh North Carolina – 14.7¢/kWh North Dakota – 14.1¢/kWh Ohio – 19.2¢/kWh Oklahoma – 14.3¢/kWh Oregon – 16.3¢/kWh Pennsylvania – 21.7¢/kWh Rhode Island – 29.2¢/kWh South Carolina – 15.6¢/kWh South Dakota – 15.4¢/kWh Tennessee – 14.1¢/kWh Texas – 15.9¢/kWh Utah – 13.4¢/kWh Vermont – 24.4¢/kWh Virginia – 17.2¢/kWh Washington – 14.9¢/kWh West Virginia – 15.4¢/kWh Wisconsin – 19.6¢/kWh Wyoming – 15.2¢/kWh Quebec – 8.3¢/kWh Ontario – 15.0¢/kWh British Columbia – 12.6¢/kWh Alberta – 22.4¢/kWh Manitoba – 10.5¢/kWh Saskatchewan – 17.9¢/kWh Nova Scotia – 20.5¢/kWh New Brunswick – 16.6¢/kWh Prince Edward Island – 19.7¢/kWh Newfoundland and Labrador – 15.6¢/kWh Custom rate
Your price per kWh
Edit the hours to match your own use. Costs use the typical wattage of each appliance. Both are counted for 120 days a year (the cooling season).
When the portable fan (box or pedestal) makes sense The room is below about 30 C Humidity is low You want the cheapest relief When the air conditioner (window unit) makes sense It is hot and humid Someone in the home is vulnerable to heat You need to cool the room, not just yourself
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