Cost to Run a Bathroom Exhaust Fan (Are they Expensive to Run?)

When we compare the exhaust fan with the air conditioner the exhaust fan completes its job in a 20 amp service circuit. The exhaust fan is mostly available in the kitchen part and the bathroom as they are able to remove moisture and hot air from the kitchen and bathroom. This article will kill you about the cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan. 

Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan

On average, the cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan is 35 per year when it is used continuously. The cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan depends upon various factors such as the electricity consumption type of the fan which you will read next. 

Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan
Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan

The following table explains the cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan according to the feature and wattage:

Bath FanFeaturesWattsMax Annual Cost
Panasonic WhisperFit110-CFM27-watts$23.65
Panasonic WhisperWarm110-CFM & Heater1430-watts$1,252.68
Broan Very Quiet80-CFM23-watts$70.08
Broan 68850-CFM108-watts$43.80
Delta BreezSignature130-CFM19-watts$16.64
Delta BreezGreenBuilder80-CFM14-watts$12.26
BV Ultra Quiet90-CFM24-watts$21.02

Types of exhaust fans:

There are basically modes to operate the exhaust fan:

  • Passive exhaust fan. 
  • Active exhaust fan

Passive exhaust fan:

Passive exhaust fans used to run at low speeds and which made the fan use less power. They are able to offer passive ventilation which is not considered as effective but they are much more energy efficient. You can easily run the fan for the whole day without worrying about the increase in your electricity bill. 

Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan
Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan

Active exhaust fan:

The active exhaust fan I used runs at high speed and which makes the fan use more power. they are able to offer active ventilation which is not efficient but they are more consistent. Using the active exhaust fan for a whole day will have a slight increase in the electricity bill. 

Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan
Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan

Note:

The electricity used by the exhaust fan and its efficiency are based on the cubic feet of air that the exhaust fan replaces in a minute. 

Electricity used by an exhaust fan:

The electricity used by an exhaust fan depends upon the number of hours the fan is Run, its size, the area it has to ventilate, and the extra features found in the exhaust fan.

  • The exhaust fan which does use natural gas will cost up to 1.32 per 1000 BTU or it can cost upto 0.086 per kWh. 
  • The electricity used depends upon the efficiency of the exhaust fan as it can be as low as 0.013 per kWh and the cost of using the large size of exhaust fan is upto 0.129 or it’s up to 0.98 per hour.

But if you are using an old fan then it will consume more power because as time passes it will take time to settle between blades and motor in the starting. This situation mostly happens if you do not use the exhaust fan for 24 hours then the dust and oil get mixed and it makes it difficult to start the fan. So maintaining the exhaust fan helps you to reduce the cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan. The wattage used by exhaust fans is from 5 Watts to 25 watts and it can be as high as 60 watts for a commercial system.

Comparison between the kitchen and the bathroom exhaust fan:

When we compared the kitchen exhaust fan and the bathroom exhaust fan the kitchen exhaust fan is larger and performs heavy duty as they have to push the hot air out which includes the odors scents and oil particles present in the air. The kitchen exhaust fan runs from 40 Watts to 90 words when they are used in residential areas and are able to replace from 50 to 140 liters of air per minute and 60 to 120 watts of exhaust fan for commercial use are able to replace 100 to 350 liters of air per minute. 

Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan
Cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan

Bathroom exhaust fan:

The cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan for 24 hours is from $0.85 to $23.5 per day which depends upon the size and power the exhaust fan uses. The cost is also used to spend on the fan repair and maintenance, for example, if a fan is a residential exhaust fan if it breaks down and needs to be replaced and it will range up to $20. A good quality exhaust fan will cost from $50 to $70 and can be used for up to 2 years. But the commercial exhaust fan does cost more for repair and maintenance. You can also repair the fan by yourself and save hundreds of dollars.

Are exhaust fans expensive to use? 

If the bathroom exhaust fans are not used unnecessarily then they are not expensive as the average cost to run a bathroom exhaust fan is up to $3.5 per year if it is a modern exhaust fan with the correct size according to the area. If we compare the typical exhaust fan with a heated Bath fan they are more expensive as the average cost to run the heated bath fan is up to $113 per year. 

Conclusion:

Using a bathroom exhaust fan is not so expensive even if we compare it with the ceiling fan. But the cost does depend upon the size of the fan, the time, the power consumption, and the amperage. 

FAQ’s

 How much time should we use the exhaust fan after showering?

For a minimum of 20 minutes exhaust the fan after showering. 

Rick Costa

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