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How much does it cost to run a box fan?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.34¢ per kilowatt-hour (June 2026), running a box fan costs about $20.63 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 13.11¢ to 52.72¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 1.4¢
- Per day of use
- 13.8¢
- Per month
- $1.72
- Per year
- $20.63
Assumption: 75 W, 10 hours a day, 150 days a year — 112 kWh a year. 20-inch box fan on high. Low speed roughly halves the draw.
Cost by state
Same appliance, same usage, 51 different prices. Sorted cheapest first.
| State | Rate | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 13.11¢ | $1.23 | $14.75 |
| Nebraska | 13.25¢ | $1.24 | $14.91 |
| Utah | 13.37¢ | $1.25 | $15.04 |
| Louisiana | 13.49¢ | $1.26 | $15.18 |
| Tennessee | 14.07¢ | $1.32 | $15.83 |
| North Dakota | 14.12¢ | $1.32 | $15.88 |
| Arkansas | 14.12¢ | $1.32 | $15.88 |
| Kentucky | 14.26¢ | $1.34 | $16.04 |
| Oklahoma | 14.33¢ | $1.34 | $16.12 |
| Idaho | 14.37¢ | $1.35 | $16.17 |
| North Carolina | 14.74¢ | $1.38 | $16.58 |
| Mississippi | 14.88¢ | $1.40 | $16.74 |
| Washington | 14.91¢ | $1.40 | $16.77 |
| New Mexico | 15.06¢ | $1.41 | $16.94 |
| Florida | 15.10¢ | $1.42 | $16.99 |
| Montana | 15.14¢ | $1.42 | $17.03 |
| Arizona | 15.18¢ | $1.42 | $17.08 |
| Wyoming | 15.24¢ | $1.43 | $17.14 |
| South Dakota | 15.36¢ | $1.44 | $17.28 |
| West Virginia | 15.45¢ | $1.45 | $17.38 |
| South Carolina | 15.55¢ | $1.46 | $17.49 |
| Kansas | 15.71¢ | $1.47 | $17.67 |
| Iowa | 15.93¢ | $1.49 | $17.92 |
| Texas | 15.94¢ | $1.49 | $17.93 |
| Missouri | 16.22¢ | $1.52 | $18.25 |
| Oregon | 16.32¢ | $1.53 | $18.36 |
| Georgia | 16.36¢ | $1.53 | $18.41 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $1.54 | $18.45 |
| Colorado | 17.13¢ | $1.61 | $19.27 |
| Virginia | 17.22¢ | $1.61 | $19.37 |
| Indiana | 17.51¢ | $1.64 | $19.70 |
| Minnesota | 17.52¢ | $1.64 | $19.71 |
| Ohio | 19.19¢ | $1.80 | $21.59 |
| Delaware | 19.29¢ | $1.81 | $21.70 |
| Wisconsin | 19.56¢ | $1.83 | $22.00 |
| Illinois | 19.89¢ | $1.86 | $22.38 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.73¢ | $2.04 | $24.45 |
| Maryland | 21.84¢ | $2.05 | $24.57 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $2.16 | $25.86 |
| Connecticut | 24.32¢ | $2.28 | $27.36 |
| District of Columbia | 24.39¢ | $2.29 | $27.44 |
| Vermont | 24.44¢ | $2.29 | $27.50 |
| New Jersey | 24.95¢ | $2.34 | $28.07 |
| New Hampshire | 27.01¢ | $2.53 | $30.39 |
| Alaska | 28.21¢ | $2.64 | $31.74 |
| Rhode Island | 29.23¢ | $2.74 | $32.88 |
| New York | 29.49¢ | $2.76 | $33.18 |
| Maine | 29.59¢ | $2.77 | $33.29 |
| Massachusetts | 29.61¢ | $2.78 | $33.31 |
| California | 34.74¢ | $3.26 | $39.08 |
| Hawaii | 52.72¢ | $4.94 | $59.31 |
Cutting the number down
- Pointing one out of an upstairs window at night pulls cool air through the whole house for a fraction of what cooling it costs.
- Box fans are cheap to run but not free: continuous summer use adds up to real kilowatt-hours.
Questions
- How many watts does a box fan use?
- About 75 W while running.
- How much does a box fan cost per month?
- About $1.72 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $20.63 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $14.75 a year, versus $59.31 in Hawaii — a spread of $44.56.