Electricians and climate experts agree: “It is the most common mistake we see every summer”
Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Ceiling fans do not directly lower room temperature, but moving air improves comfort by helping sweat evaporate and removing warm air around the body.
- Electrician and climate technician Carlos Llull recommends direct-current fans because they generally use less energy and make less noise than alternating-current models.
- Using a 30-watt fan for eight hours would consume about 0.24 kilowatt-hours, compared with roughly 4.8 kilowatt-hours for an inverter air conditioner using 600 watts on average.
A ceiling fan can make a room feel cooler without actually cooling the air. Carlos Llull, an electrician and climate technician, says misunderstanding that distinction is “probably the most common mistake I see every summer.”
The fan’s movement improves the body’s perception of temperature. Airflow accelerates sweat evaporation, helping the body release heat more easily. It also prevents warm air from remaining trapped around the body by continually replacing that layer of air.
Probably the most common mistake I see every summer. Many people say, ‘Carlos, I put in a ceiling fan and it cools a lot,’ and my answer is always the same: ‘No, a ceiling fan does not cool the air.’
Llull distinguishes between traditional alternating-current, or AC, fans and newer direct-current, or DC, models. DC motors can provide a similar airflow while using less energy, and they generally operate more quietly. That makes them particularly useful at night. “If I had to install a ceiling fan in my house today, I would personally choose a model with a direct-current motor,” he says.
If I had to install a ceiling fan in my house today, I would personally choose a model with a direct-current motor.
His example puts the difference in energy use into simple terms. A 30-watt fan running for eight hours would consume about 0.24 kilowatt-hours. At a hypothetical price of 0.10 euros per kilowatt-hour, that would cost roughly 0.024 euros per night.
An inverter air conditioner averaging 600 watts, by contrast, could use about 4.8 kilowatt-hours over the same eight hours, or approximately 48 cents at the same reference price. Llull stresses that the comparison is not entirely fair. “Is it more expensive than a fan? Yes, of course, much more, but we are also comparing two completely different systems. One only moves the air, while the other extracts heat from the home and genuinely lowers the room temperature.”
Is it more expensive than a fan? Yes, of course, much more, but we are also comparing two completely different systems. One only moves the air, while the other extracts heat from the home and genuinely lowers the room temperature. It is not an entirely fair comparison.
About this summary
Originally published by Clarín in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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