U.S. residential electricity EIA data: July 2026 US average 18.3¢/kWh Updated
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Cooling · Washington

How Much Does It Cost to Run a Ceiling Fan in Washington?

The short answer

Running a 50W ceiling fan in Washington costs about $0.01 an hour. At 8 hours a day, that’s roughly $1.79 a month and $21.48 a year.

The estimate uses Washington’s average residential electricity price of 14.7¢/kWh from EIA (July 2026) — 20% below the national average.

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

Ceiling Fan cost by daily use in Washington

Cost at 14.7¢/kWh, the Washington average (EIA, Jul 2026)
Daily usekWh/monthPer dayPer monthPer year
1 hour/day 1.5 $0.01 $0.22 $2.68
2 hours/day 3.0 $0.01 $0.45 $5.37
4 hours/day 6.1 $0.03 $0.89 $10.74
8 hours/day 12.2 $0.06 $1.79 $21.48
12 hours/day 18.3 $0.09 $2.68 $32.21
24 hours/day 36.5 $0.18 $5.37 $64.43

Washington vs other states

At typical use, a ceiling fan costs $21.48 a year in Washington — $48.60 less than in Hawaii and $2.91 more than in Louisiana.

Washington has the 13th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC. Washington electricity rates · all states ranked

Electricity price trend in Washington

14.7¢/kWh in July 2026 — ▲ +9.4% from a year earlier.

How to lower the cost of running a ceiling fan

Ceiling fans don't lower the room temperature; they make you feel 3–4°F cooler through wind-chill on your skin. That is why they save money only when you also raise the thermostat. A standard AC-motor fan uses 50–90W on high, while efficient DC-motor fans use 15–35W. Running a fan in an empty room just wastes electricity.

  • Turn fans off when you leave the room — they cool people, not spaces.
  • Raise the AC thermostat by 3–4°F when the fan is running.
  • In winter, reverse the direction (clockwise) on low to push warm air down from the ceiling.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to run a ceiling fan for 24 hours in Washington?

Running a 50W ceiling fan for 24 hours uses about 1.20 kWh, which costs about $0.18 at Washington’s average rate of 14.7¢/kWh.

How many kWh does a ceiling fan use per month?

At 8 hours a day, a typical ceiling fan uses about 12.2 kWh a month. In Washington that costs $1.79.

Is it expensive to run a ceiling fan in Washington?

Washington has the 13th-cheapest residential electricity of the 50 states and DC at 14.7¢/kWh — cheaper than most. Running a ceiling fan here costs about $21.48 a year at typical use, compared with $26.73 at the national average rate.

What is the electricity rate in Washington right now?

The average residential electricity rate in Washington was 14.7¢ per kWh in July 2026, according to the latest EIA data — up 9.4% from a year earlier.

Is it cheaper to run a ceiling fan or AC?

A ceiling fan uses roughly 1–3% of the power of central AC. Using fans to raise your thermostat a few degrees is one of the easiest ways to cut summer bills.

Ceiling Fan costs in nearby states

Cheapest and priciest states

Comparisons

Sources & method