How Much Electricity Does a Floor Fan Use?

Doug Stephen – Doug is a hardcore barbeque enthusiast and connoisseur. While he spends most of his time on editing and research, he sometimes moonlights as a product tester for particularly interesting things he comes across.

How Much Electricity Does a Floor Fan Use?

Keeping your home at a comfortable temperature throughout the year is a tough job, especially with the rising cost of electricity. Higher temperatures in the summer mean higher electric bills as you run your AC unit day and night to keep the house from getting too hot. 

A great way to keep your home cool and your energy costs down is to use a floor fan. Floor fans use less electricity than air conditioning units, and they are versatile and affordable. By exploring how much electricity does a floor fan use, you can determine how much you’ll save by cooling your home with a floor fan. 

What is a Floor Fan?

A floor fan is a type of fan that is used to cool down spaces in homes, offices, and warehouses. Unlike ceiling fans, floor fans sit on the ground and push air forward, either along the ground. 

Most floor fans use blades to push air into a room. Many fans can oscillate, remain stationary, and change the speed of the airflow. Floor fans are often manually operated, but some can be operated by remote control. Although some smaller personal or desk floor fans are battery-powered, the majority run on electricity.  Here are examples of different floor fans. 

1. Box fan 

A box fan is a square fan equipped with blades that push air into the room. Box fans come in many sizes, from tiny models that sit on desks, to a typical 20” version, on up to the industrial-sized box fan. Box fans sit on the ground and move air along the floor. 

2. Tower fan

Tower fans are sleeker in design and work well in smaller spaces in the home. Made to look like a tower, these fans stand about 4’ tall and fit nicely into the background. 

3. Table/desk fan

Created to sit on top of tables, counters, and desks, table fans are a great personal cooling tool when you are sitting in one workspace for a longer period. 

4. Pedestal fan

Pedestal fans are similar to tower fans. A round fan connects to a narrow stand, which comes out of a wide base that sits on the floor. Oscillating pedestal fans are great for cooling slightly bigger rooms with multiple people. 

Benefits of Using a floor fan

table fan

Using a floor fan to cool your home is a smart alternative to running an AC unit. There are several key benefits to using a floor fan instead of turning on your central cooling system. 

1. Versatile

Floor fans are versatile. They can be used to cool down a space, as well as increase airflow and ventilation in a room. When placed near an open window, floor fans can bring fresh, cool air into a stuffy room. Likewise, they can push noxious odors out of a room if the airflow moves toward the open window. The white noise created by floor fans is also a soothing sound that can help you sleep more soundly. 

2. Portable

Floor fans are made to be portable. You do not need to perform an installation or decide on a permanent spot for your box fan. You can easily move the appliance around your house and place it where it is needed, even outside on a porch or patio. 

3. Inexpensive

Floor fans are very inexpensive to purchase, and they are available at almost any home goods store. There are several brands to choose from, which means a variety of price points for you to consider depending on your budget. 

4. User friendly

Floor fans are extremely simple to use. You won’t have to deal with complicated installation instructions or programming buttons. For most floor fans, you simply plug the cord into your electrical outlet, twist a knob to the speed you prefer, and let the fan do its job. 

5. Economical

The most important benefit of using a floor fan to cool your home is how economical a floor fan can be for your budget. Looking at how much energy does a floor fan use, the monetary benefit of using a pedestal fan or box fan is noticeable. 

Doug Stephen

Doug Stephen

How Much Energy Does a Floor Fan Use?

To answer the question of how much energy does a floor fan use, you’ll need to do a little bit of math. First, figure out the watt usage of your floor fan model and convert it to kilowatts. You’ll do this by looking on your device and dividing the watts listed by 1000. 

Then, determine how much a kilowatt of electricity costs per hour in your area.