Do You Find It Cheaper To Use An Electric Fan Or Airconditioning?

[BillStrangeOgre]

I have a regular wall mounted, Samsung airconditioner.

If i use the airconditioner at say 23-24 centigrade while i'm at home or use an electric fan which would be cheaper to use in your experience, or is there not much difference?

Any comments or observations are welcome.

Cheers

[garyh]

Power consumption for an air conditioner is much more, maybe 400 times or even more.

[gotlost]

I only have fans so look at all that money I'm saving by not installing AC.

[Forkinhades]

My AC in the bedrooms are rated at 1.85 Kw.

My fans are rated at 40 w

massive saving on the fans

Every hour the AC will use just under 2 units

whilst the fan will take just over 24 hours to use 1 unit

[Slip]

Add at least another 1500 baht a month? About that for my one a/c which I use only at night. Cooler though

[Ulysses G.]

Fans are much cheaper, but a lot less comfortable when it is scorching hot. Fans are not bad during the middle of day in cool season - you usually don't need one at night - and on cooler days when it is raining, but IMHO the rest of the time air con is well worth the money.

[Forkinhades]

But that is NOT what the OP wanted to know

[BillStrangeOgre]

Thanks for all your comments.

A fan it will be then!

[billythefish]

And, as well as being cheaper to run, the fan in the bedroom at night helps to keep the dam_n mosquitos off you!

[gotlost]

A nice cold shower a fan blowing on you and no clothes on.

[mmushr00m]

However, to keep the room at 23-24c you will need alot of fans or one very powerful one.

[Ulysses G.]

A very powerful one and also sleep in a bathtub full of ice.

[Slip]

Surely a fan doesn't really cool?- it just gives you a bit of 'wind chill factor'.

[bunta71]

One of the things determining just how much it will cool you is as you say... wind chill factor :)

I'm feelin' a draft as we speak...

Edited June 18, 2010 by bunta71

[yabaaaa]

Fans just move hot air about, best you can do is ambient air temp outside, air con cools it. Air con uses a lot more electricity.

[galvheim]

There are many variables to how much electricity you would use from the Aircon - Allthough the answer is allready given, there are some things I would like to add.

If your room is more insulated the cost of using the aircondition can be dramatically reduced. This will keep the cool from radiating too easily out and keep heat from radiating in, to put it like that. THa aircon will only use the maximum wattage when the compressor is running and the aircon-fan is running full speed. Whe the compressor is not working, you are using small amounts of electricity.

Also you might be pretty happy with a temperature setting of 28*C instead of going all the way down to 23-24, and then using an extra fan to blow the air on you when sleeping or doing other things. During the night I usually have to set it from 28*C to 30*C because I start to feel too cold.

In our house, we have:

• hot water shower (usually on a very low setting since the water is allmost hot enough for showering allready),
• one room with aircon running around 14 hrs pr. day,
• 2 water pumps and 1 pressure pump (running about 2 hours pr. day),
• 4 fans (of wich 2 is on 24 hrs a day in average),
• 2 computers (in which 1 and 1/3 is on 24 hrs),
• 4 in- and outdoor flourocent lights of 36 watts each (on about 6 hrs pr. day,
• a fridge staying in our outdoor kitchen,
• TV thats being used minimum 6 hrs pr. day,
• one induction cooker, mostly using the 1200 watt setting - around 1,5-2 hrs. pr. day.
• ...also various phone chargers, printer, laminator, stereo, desklight etc.

All in all last months electric bill was 1'100 THB.

I have attached a small Excell-file that one might use to calculate the cost of diffrent electrical items. You have to find out how much they charge pr. unit and maybe also how many watts the unit is difined by. Here they charge 3,6 THB pr. kilowatthour. Then you just fill in how many minutes, hours or day you want to check and insert the watt-power of that particular item.

Last year I went here I brought with me a thingy that you attach to the wall-outlet, and then attach any electrical appliance. My standard Hatari floor fan used around 67 watts running on low speed. So this cost me almost 6 THB pr. day of use.

Electric-Calculations.xls

[Slip]

One of the things determining just how much it will cool you is as you say... wind chill factor Sorry- I see how that came across as a wee bit thick.<br>

I was meaning to refer to the OP's comments about the temp he had his

aircon set too, when I commented about it being 'cooler';

Yabaa expressed my point much more competently

Meanwhile Galvheim, thanks for that (frankly rather interesting) breakdown of your bill; I seem to have half as much electric stuff as you, but pay 2-3 times as much on my bill. :S

EDIT- Sorry TV is playing up and the formatting got printed

Edited June 18, 2010 by Slip

[galvheim]

Meanwhile Galvheim, thanks for that (frankly rather interesting) breakdown of your bill; I seem to have half as much electric stuff as you, but pay 2-3 times as much on my bill. :S

Well, I think next months bill will be more up to 1500, beacuse I think we have used both aircondition and the induction cooker a a little bit more than before. Also I had less electrical stuff before, when I stayed in a condo in Pattaya before, but still my bills easy came up to 3000 THB for electricity. Then the landlord charged 7 THB pr. KWh. Now I live with my girlfriend in her old house after adding some extentions to it in form of a new room, new bathroom and a new kitchen.

[henryalleman]

A good money saver is to put the airco at 25 or 27 degree at night and put the fan on the same time

[Naam]

However, to keep the room at 23-24c you will need alot of fans or one very powerful one.

even a lot of very powerful fans are not able to cool any volume of air in any room.

[Naam]

Fans just move hot air about, best you can do is ambient air temp outside, air con cools it. Air con uses a lot more electricity.

BINGO!

[Naam]

A nice cold shower a fan blowing on you and no clothes on.

and one month coughing because of bronchitis.

[CHdiver]

Thats a question I would expect a 12 year old to answer correctly himself.

However, should the OP have his home in Greenland, then it may be a little bit more tricky.

Maybe Nam could enlighten us about the difference depending of the climate.

[jubby]

The questions been answered. However, if you do want to use Aircon and perhaps save a bit on Electricity then I suggest you set the temp at 27 degrees. and also use a wall fan. 27's cool enough for my Kids to have a good nights sleep any cooler and they are using blankets to keep warm. I've tried 28 but the Aircon rarely comes on and so the rooms hot and stuffy.

[JetsetBkk]

The questions been answered. However, if you do want to use Aircon and perhaps save a bit on Electricity then I suggest you set the temp at 27 degrees. and also use a wall fan. 27's cool enough for my Kids to have a good nights sleep any cooler and they are using blankets to keep warm. I've tried 28 but the Aircon rarely comes on and so the rooms hot and stuffy.

Similar to what I do - aircon at 27, plus fan at foot of bed on slowest speed.

Fans alone cannot cool the air, just you, by forced evaporation of your sweat and removal of the hot air close to your skin. Overnight, the room will get hotter and closer to the outside temperature. It may even end up hotter than the outside temperature. It will also get more humid because of your body.

The aircon will remove both heat and moisture. The fan greatly improves your body's cooling method - sweating - by adding the "wind chill" factor.

[nicholasday]

This website is very useful (http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cooling.html)

Shows how fans do more than just blow hot air around. The hottest air is usually the air around you as your body heat heats it up. A fan blows that hot air away from you and allows your body to cool faster. Also shows different energy use (e.g. a small air-con. is equivalent to about 12 ceiling fans).

Lots of other hints and tips to.

[t.s]

thanks to all who helped clear up this tricky issue.

while i have your attention, could any tell me if it would be cheaper to drink water or beer?

[Forethat]

A nice cold shower a fan blowing on you and no clothes on.

and one month coughing because of bronchitis.

I expect you to cough in case you suffer from bronchitis, but you will not contract bronchitis from the situation described above.

[richardjm65]

thanks to all who helped clear up this tricky issue.

while i have your attention, could any tell me if it would be cheaper to drink water or beer?

It WAS a tricky issue, wasn't it? Now, as to whether it would be cheaper to drink water or beer, that would rather depend on socio-economic-religious factors applicable at the time and place of need. And the time of day.

[yabaaaa]

This website is very useful (http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cooling.html)

Shows how fans do more than just blow hot air around. The hottest air is usually the air around you as your body heat heats it up. A fan blows that hot air away from you and allows your body to cool faster. Also shows different energy use (e.g. a small air-con. is equivalent to about 12 ceiling fans).

Lots of other hints and tips to.

Granted the hottest air is around you , assuming air temp is lower than body temp, but it will not cool the air below ambient temperature.

Edited June 19, 2010 by yabaaaa