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How much does it cost to run a box fan?
At the U.S. average residential price of 18.16¢ per kilowatt-hour (August 2026), running a box fan costs about $20.43 a year. Your own bill depends on your state's rate, which ranges from 12.72¢ to 47.18¢ across the country.
- Per hour
- 1.4¢
- Per day of use
- 13.6¢
- Per month
- $1.70
- Per year
- $20.43
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 | 12.72¢ | $1.19 | $14.31 |
| Louisiana | 12.87¢ | $1.21 | $14.48 |
| North Dakota | 13.31¢ | $1.25 | $14.97 |
| Utah | 13.31¢ | $1.25 | $14.97 |
| Idaho | 13.37¢ | $1.25 | $15.04 |
| Tennessee | 13.42¢ | $1.26 | $15.10 |
| Nebraska | 13.54¢ | $1.27 | $15.23 |
| Kentucky | 13.80¢ | $1.29 | $15.53 |
| Arkansas | 14.37¢ | $1.35 | $16.17 |
| Mississippi | 14.43¢ | $1.35 | $16.23 |
| Wyoming | 14.43¢ | $1.35 | $16.23 |
| Washington | 14.63¢ | $1.37 | $16.46 |
| Oklahoma | 14.82¢ | $1.39 | $16.67 |
| North Carolina | 14.95¢ | $1.40 | $16.82 |
| Florida | 14.99¢ | $1.41 | $16.86 |
| Arizona | 15.05¢ | $1.41 | $16.93 |
| South Dakota | 15.15¢ | $1.42 | $17.04 |
| Kansas | 15.47¢ | $1.45 | $17.40 |
| Montana | 15.57¢ | $1.46 | $17.52 |
| South Carolina | 15.76¢ | $1.48 | $17.73 |
| Georgia | 15.90¢ | $1.49 | $17.89 |
| Texas | 15.91¢ | $1.49 | $17.90 |
| Oregon | 15.92¢ | $1.49 | $17.91 |
| Missouri | 16.02¢ | $1.50 | $18.02 |
| West Virginia | 16.31¢ | $1.53 | $18.35 |
| Alabama | 16.33¢ | $1.53 | $18.37 |
| New Mexico | 16.51¢ | $1.55 | $18.57 |
| Indiana | 17.02¢ | $1.60 | $19.15 |
| Iowa | 17.06¢ | $1.60 | $19.19 |
| Colorado | 17.17¢ | $1.61 | $19.32 |
| Minnesota | 17.20¢ | $1.61 | $19.35 |
| Virginia | 17.64¢ | $1.65 | $19.84 |
| Delaware | 18.70¢ | $1.75 | $21.04 |
| Illinois | 19.32¢ | $1.81 | $21.73 |
| Ohio | 19.38¢ | $1.82 | $21.80 |
| Wisconsin | 19.41¢ | $1.82 | $21.84 |
| Maryland | 21.40¢ | $2.01 | $24.07 |
| Pennsylvania | 21.77¢ | $2.04 | $24.49 |
| Michigan | 22.99¢ | $2.16 | $25.86 |
| Vermont | 23.84¢ | $2.23 | $26.82 |
| Connecticut | 24.51¢ | $2.30 | $27.57 |
| New Jersey | 24.61¢ | $2.31 | $27.69 |
| District of Columbia | 25.98¢ | $2.44 | $29.23 |
| New Hampshire | 27.64¢ | $2.59 | $31.09 |
| Rhode Island | 28.18¢ | $2.64 | $31.70 |
| New York | 28.65¢ | $2.69 | $32.23 |
| Alaska | 29.41¢ | $2.76 | $33.09 |
| California | 29.75¢ | $2.79 | $33.47 |
| Massachusetts | 30.48¢ | $2.86 | $34.29 |
| Maine | 32.11¢ | $3.01 | $36.12 |
| Hawaii | 47.18¢ | $4.42 | $53.08 |
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 $1.70 a month at the U.S. average rate, or $20.43 a year.
- Where is it cheapest to run?
- Nevada, at $14.31 a year, versus $53.08 in Hawaii — a spread of $38.77.