Energy Usage With Air Conditioning Units and Fans

With energy costs rising every day, saving money on the household electric bill is a big priority for most people. During the hot summer months, air conditioning seems like a necessity, but it can drive energy costs up significantly. Using electrical fans to circulate air and cool a home instead of A/C will decrease energy usage, especially if done correctly. Here is some helpful information regarding the usage of air conditioning and fans from an electrical contractor.

What is Air Conditioning?

Air-conditioning units, whether central (whole house) or window units, cool a space quickly. They work by blowing air across a cold source; years ago, A/C units used Freon and other CFC gases as coolants, but the use of these chemicals has been banned for environmental reasons. A/C units use electricity to power the circulation fans, the compressor, and the other internal moving parts of the unit. This translates into higher energy use and therefore higher electric bills. Electrical fans are different because they do not change the temperature of the air; they simply circulate it, which has a cooling effect.

Air Conditioning Costs

If you ask an electrical contractor, they will tell you that A/C energy efficiency has improved greatly in the last decade. Despite this, A/C is the single largest factor in energy use in a home. An average American home spends 16% of its total electricity bill on A/C. This figure can jump up to 60-70% during summer months, especially in the Deep South where high humidity lessens the unit's efficiency. A normal window A/C unit uses around 500 to 1400 watts. A standard 2.5-ton central air system about 3500 watts of power per hour of constant usage. This translates to hundreds of dollars per month.

Facts about Electrical Fans

In terms of cooling power, an electrical fan loses hands-down to an A/C unit. In terms of its energy use and efficiency, fans win every time. Even though fans don't change the actual ambient temperature of a room, they do help a room feel cooler. This is done by circulating the air. Moving air passing over a liquid, such as human sweat, causes the sensation of cooling by encouraging evaporation. An electrical contractor knows that a standard electrical fan uses 100 watts per hour in floor models, and ceiling fans a mere 15-30 watts. The savings in energy use is dramatic.

Efficient Use of Air Conditioning and Fans

It is possible to use A/C units and still have a manageable energy bill. The A/C consumes the most power when its compressor and coolant pump are on, lowering the air temperature. However, A/C units do have fans that operate without using the coolant. Setting the A/C unit's thermostat at a higher temperature and the A/C fan at a lower temperature will result in the A/C fan kicking in more often than the actual cooling pump. Since it would take 35 floor fans to use as much electricity as central air, installing a few fans and using them as the primary cooling system makes more sense. Only use the A/C when necessary.

Air conditioning is a luxury that many Americans don't want to cut back on, but that is necessary in order to bring down monthly costs. According to an electric contractor, using electrical fans instead of A/C will reduce an electric bill as much as fifty percent. Using both A/C and electrical fans appropriately can provide enough cooling as well as energy efficiency.