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How much does it cost to run a box fan?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.31¢ per kilowatt-hour (July 2026), running a box fan costs about $20.60 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 48.00¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 1.4¢
- Per day of use
- 13.7¢
- Per month
- $1.72
- Per year
- $20.60
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | 12.72¢ | $1.19 | $14.31 |
| Nevada | 12.77¢ | $1.20 | $14.37 |
| Utah | 13.12¢ | $1.23 | $14.76 |
| North Dakota | 13.41¢ | $1.26 | $15.09 |
| Tennessee | 13.71¢ | $1.29 | $15.42 |
| Idaho | 13.73¢ | $1.29 | $15.45 |
| Nebraska | 13.78¢ | $1.29 | $15.50 |
| Kentucky | 13.81¢ | $1.29 | $15.54 |
| Arkansas | 14.33¢ | $1.34 | $16.12 |
| Oklahoma | 14.35¢ | $1.35 | $16.14 |
| Wyoming | 14.36¢ | $1.35 | $16.16 |
| Mississippi | 14.54¢ | $1.36 | $16.36 |
| Washington | 14.71¢ | $1.38 | $16.55 |
| Montana | 14.99¢ | $1.41 | $16.86 |
| Florida | 15.03¢ | $1.41 | $16.91 |
| North Carolina | 15.16¢ | $1.42 | $17.05 |
| Kansas | 15.27¢ | $1.43 | $17.18 |
| South Dakota | 15.37¢ | $1.44 | $17.29 |
| Arizona | 15.38¢ | $1.44 | $17.30 |
| South Carolina | 15.47¢ | $1.45 | $17.40 |
| West Virginia | 15.78¢ | $1.48 | $17.75 |
| Texas | 15.88¢ | $1.49 | $17.86 |
| Oregon | 15.97¢ | $1.50 | $17.97 |
| Iowa | 15.99¢ | $1.50 | $17.99 |
| Missouri | 16.09¢ | $1.51 | $18.10 |
| New Mexico | 16.09¢ | $1.51 | $18.10 |
| Georgia | 16.27¢ | $1.53 | $18.30 |
| Alabama | 16.40¢ | $1.54 | $18.45 |
| Indiana | 16.73¢ | $1.57 | $18.82 |
| Colorado | 17.00¢ | $1.59 | $19.12 |
| Minnesota | 17.45¢ | $1.64 | $19.63 |
| Virginia | 17.55¢ | $1.65 | $19.74 |
| Delaware | 18.48¢ | $1.73 | $20.79 |
| Wisconsin | 19.06¢ | $1.79 | $21.44 |
| Illinois | 19.22¢ | $1.80 | $21.62 |
| Ohio | 19.45¢ | $1.82 | $21.88 |
| Maryland | 21.41¢ | $2.01 | $24.09 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.72¢ | $2.04 | $24.43 |
| Michigan | 23.05¢ | $2.16 | $25.93 |
| Vermont | 23.75¢ | $2.23 | $26.72 |
| Connecticut | 24.16¢ | $2.27 | $27.18 |
| New Jersey | 25.19¢ | $2.36 | $28.34 |
| District of Columbia | 25.21¢ | $2.36 | $28.36 |
| New Hampshire | 26.60¢ | $2.49 | $29.93 |
| Rhode Island | 28.29¢ | $2.65 | $31.83 |
| Alaska | 28.83¢ | $2.70 | $32.43 |
| New York | 29.90¢ | $2.80 | $33.64 |
| Massachusetts | 30.49¢ | $2.86 | $34.30 |
| Maine | 32.41¢ | $3.04 | $36.46 |
| California | 33.61¢ | $3.15 | $37.81 |
| Hawaii | 48.00¢ | $4.50 | $54.00 |
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 $20.60 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Louisiana, at $14.31 a year, versus $54.00 in Hawaii — a spread of $39.69.