U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Side-by-side running cost

Portable Air Conditioner vs Ceiling Fan: Which Costs Less to Run?

The short answer

Per hour of use, a ceiling fan ($0.01/hr) costs about 96% less to run than a portable air conditioner ($0.22/hr) at the US average rate of 18.3¢/kWh. At typical use (8 hours a day vs 8 hours a day), that’s $53.47 vs $2.23 a month.

Source: U.S. EIA, July 2026 data · Updated

Portable Air Conditioner

Typical power
1,200W
Per hour
$0.22
Per month
$53.47
Per year
$642
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full portable air conditioner breakdown
Cheaper to run

Ceiling Fan

Typical power
50W
Per hour
$0.01
Per month
$2.23
Per year
$26.73
Typical use
8 hours a day
Full ceiling fan breakdown

Portable Air Conditioner vs Ceiling Fan in the 10 largest states

Monthly cost at typical use and each state’s average residential rate.

StatePortable Air ConditionerCeiling FanDifference
California $98.15 $4.09 $94.06
Texas $46.37 $1.93 $44.44
Florida $43.89 $1.83 $42.06
New York $87.32 $3.64 $83.68
Pennsylvania $63.43 $2.64 $60.79
Illinois $56.13 $2.34 $53.79
Ohio $56.80 $2.37 $54.43
Georgia $47.51 $1.98 $45.53
North Carolina $44.27 $1.84 $42.43
Michigan $67.31 $2.80 $64.51

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is a portable air conditioner cheaper to run than a ceiling fan?

Per hour of use, a ceiling fan ($0.01/hr) costs about 96% less to run than a portable air conditioner ($0.22/hr) at the US average rate of 18.3¢/kWh. At typical use (8 hours a day vs 8 hours a day), that’s $53.47 vs $2.23 a month.

How much power does a portable air conditioner use compared with a ceiling fan?

A portable air conditioner typically draws 1,200W, while a ceiling fan draws about 50W.

More comparisons

Sources & method