How Many Amps Does a Ceiling Fan Use？

Ceiling fans draw around 0.25 to 1 amp. Although the amperage varies depending on the model, speed settings, and more,

You can determine the amperage simply by calculating it yourself or by contacting the manufacturer. In most cases, the amperage falls within a narrow range.

How Many Amps Does a Ceiling Fan Draw

Determining the amperage of a ceiling fan is not as simple as it sounds. Several factors, such as the type of fan, its settings, speed, and so on, need to be considered. This section will give you a general idea of how many amps different types of ceiling fans draw.

Ceiling fans appear to be everywhere. The strange thing is that when we have non-functional cooling fans, we don’t think about them. But, once warm weather arrives, we notice their presence. Do you ever wonder how many ceiling fans you have and how much electricity the average ceiling fan set uses?

The fan’s speed and size determine the amperage used by a ceiling fan. It typically consumes less than one amp when a ceiling fan is turned on. Low-power settings consume fewer amps than medium- and high-power levels.

For example, an average ceiling fan on a low-speed 120-volt ceiling fan uses 0.17 amps. A low setting draws 0.58 amps, whereas a high setting draws 0.65 amps. (Learn How Often To Run Exhaust Fan In Grow Tent)

How Many Ceiling Fans Can A 15 Amp Circuit Support?

Ceiling fans consume very little electricity and are economical to run compared to electric heaters and air conditioners that use between 10 and 20 amps. (read more: 7 Hampton Bay Ceiling Fans That are Popular in The Market?)

However, one area that is frequently overlooked is fan startup. While it doesn’t take too long, if you have air conditioning running, the spike from the fan motor kicking in could be enough to trip the breaker on your AC units.

In our guide, you can learn more about your ceiling fan amp draw and how it can affect the running of heavy-duty appliances when they start up.

By the end, you’ll know how many ceiling fan amps you’ll have on a circuit. You’ll also see how you can adjust these from their higher settings with an adjustable switch to consume less electricity and make a big difference with your electric bill.

How many amps does a normal ceiling fan draw?

A ceiling fan consumes around 120 watts for each amp it draws. The lower the setting, the less amperage is used, whereas the higher the level, the more amperage is used. For example, an average ceiling fan set on low speed uses about 0.25 amp, on medium speed about 0.4 amp, and on high speed about 0.6 amp.

Running four ceiling fans on a single 15-ampere circuit should be possible, albeit it will depend on what else is on the circuit.

A 52-inch fan at high speed consumes 90–100 watts and comprises three 60-watt lights. As a result, each fixture should be about 280 watts.

According to research, an average ceiling fan or box fan uses less electricity than an AC unit. As a result, you can continue to use a ceiling fan to keep your space cool.

Depending on the power settings and model type, a typical ceiling fan consumes 15 to 90 watts of electricity. (Learn How to Use Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan Remote?)

You can leave your fan on for up to ten hours without risking damage to the coils or the ceiling. In addition, your box fan will use less power than an AC compressor for a shorter period of time.

How does an amp compare to a watt?

Based on a 120V power source voltage, one amp is equal to 120 watts; hence, 0.5 amps equals 60 watts.

This method of calculating and comparing electricity is always the same. If the voltage is reduced to 110 volts, for example, one amp equals.54 amps, and so on.

What does a typical ceiling fan draw, or how many amps do ceiling fans use?

A ceiling fan uses around 120 watts for each amp it draws. So the lower the setting, the less amperage is used, whereas the higher settings use more.

An average ceiling fan consumes approximately 0.25 amp, 0.4 amp at medium speed, and 0.6 amp at high speed.

Ask how many LED lights you can add to a 15-amp circuit. An LED bulb typically draws around 10 watts (the same amount of light as a 60-watt bulb), so you are safe up to around 30 lights before you reach maximum power use.

How Many Amps Does a 52-Inch Ceiling Fan Pull?

The solution is 72 volts. Using the Ceiling Fan Amp Use Table, you may determine that a 52-inch-diameter ceiling fan will use 0.72 amps.

Ceiling fans use very little energy in terms of power compared to other cooling devices like air conditioners. The amount of electric current, the exact number of amperages used by the ceiling fan, can be obtained by contacting the company that manufactures the fans, but the fans have a limited price range. Let’s find out how many amps ceiling fans consume.

If you want to know the exact amps that ceiling fans use, let’s discover how many different types of fans are used.

How many amps do ceiling fans use?

Normal ceiling fans amp usage

A standard ceiling fan can draw up to 1 amp. The range depends on the ceiling fan’s speed and power settings. If you suppose that the speed setting of a normal ceiling fan is currently 0.4 amps, while on the higher range, it will be 0.6 amps,

Although the amps drawn by a ceiling fan are not much compared to an air conditioner, they are still a lot. A normal ceiling fan typically draws somewhere between 0.5 and 1 amp. However, this number depends on the power and speed settings of the ceiling fan.

A recently built fan would draw 0.4 amps given that it is on low settings. This same fan would draw only about 0.6 amps at high settings.

Hampton Bay ceiling fan amp usage

The use of amps for Hampton Bay ceiling fans depends on the type and build of that fan. The Hampton Bay ceiling fan that comes with the light kit uses 2 amps. On the other hand, the Hampton Bay ceiling fan that does not contain a light kit uses 3 amps.

52 Inch ceiling fan usage

The 52-inch ceiling fan uses low settings of about 0.17 amps, while the fans with high settings use 0.65 amps.

This type of ceiling fan has the lowest amperage. In low settings, a 52-inch ceiling fan will only draw about 0.17 amps. Whereas, in high settings, the number is around 0.65 amp.

Large ceiling fan amp usage

In most cases, ceiling fans with large construction will require up to 0.5 amps to 1 amp.

A large ceiling fan operates in the typical range of amperage. The recently constructed ones require around 0.5 amp to 1 amp on average.

Ceiling fans with low amps

The ceiling fans that come with lights will need approximately 0.5 amps to function. It does not need much more energy or power on the high-amp usage settings. Choosing the right size of circuit breaker for a ceiling fan is an important part of installing it right. So it would help if you paid special attention to this aspect. So search for the size of circuit breaker you require for your ceiling fan.

This type of ceiling fan has the most amperage. Depending on the type of build that such fans have, the amp usage varies. For instance, a Hampton Bay ceiling fan with a light kit will use about 2 amps, while a Hampton Bay ceiling fan without a light kit will use around 3 amps.

Calculating the Amperage

One can calculate how many amps a ceiling fan is drawing by using a simple formula. All you need to know is the power of the fan in watts and volts. However, typical ceiling fans use an electric motor that works with an AC supply and generates a magnetic field. In some cases, we will need to consider the power factor.

Assuming an AC ceiling fan motor has a power of 50 watts and uses 120 volts with a power factor of 0.6, the amps it will draw can be calculated using the following formula:

Power (Watts) = Power Factor x Voltage X Amps.

In this example, the amps drawn by the 50-watt fan will be 0.69.

Normal range of watts for ceiling fans

Some fans are as small as 10 watts and have 120 watt maximums. However, depending on the type of fan, most fans have a variety of speed settings that can be quickly adjusted to fit any situation.

At moderate settings, an average fan will need 75 watts.

The calculation for the average ceiling fan comes with speed 1, which is the lowest setting, and it uses 16 watts. At speed 2, the average fan uses 27 to 30 watts. On the other hand, at speed 3, the average fan uses 45 watts, and at speed 4, it will use 55 watts. A ceiling fan that runs on speed 5 will use 75 watts on average.

According to the above facts, an average ceiling fan on high-speed settings needs to use 0.5 to 1 amp, as the amount of amp used by the ceiling fan depends on various factors like the type of the ceiling fan, speed settings, speed, size of the fan, and many more factors. When the fan speed gets lower, the amp used will decrease.

Ceiling fans are available in a variety of sizes. For example, a domestic ceiling fan with a diameter of 24 inches is available, and other fans with a diameter of 72 inches or even more are also accessible.

The more amperage an electric motor on a fan requires, the bigger it is. A typical ceiling fan uses less than one amp of electricity, as seen in the table above. Industrial ceiling fans are substantially more expensive and larger than standard ceiling fans.

An industrial ceiling fan can cost up to $1000 and utilize anywhere from one to six amps, depending on the engine and blade size. Industrial fan blades can reach lengths of up to ten feet.

The Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan  is a prominent and well-known brand of ceiling fans.

The Hampton Bay ceiling fan uses less than one amp of power.

Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan Parts Does a ceiling fan need its own circuit?

The cooling fan relay is the relay that controls the cooling fans if they are linked to AC units. When certain conditions are met, the relay is turned on and power is sent to the fans.

A faulty cooling fan relay can produce symptoms. (Read More:  Where to Buy Hampton Bay Ceiling Fan Parts?)

The first symptom of a failing cooling fan relay is that it is running hot or overheating, especially fan motors.

Ceiling fans run for long periods, and cooling fans that do not function or are non-functional are common symptoms of an issue with your cooling fan relay. (Learn How To Hang Plants From Ceiling)

Cooling fans staying on is also an issue, as this means the electric fans are using electricity. Depending on the fan speed, it could cause further damage and use more electrical power.
How Many Fans Can You Run On A 20-Amp Breaker?

Any high-draw component with a large draw requires the use of a relay. As a safety issue, fan motors, particularly a parallel pair, are desirable in the event of a failing cooling fan relay.

A relay coil only draws an amp or an amp and a half, whereas a motor will draw 17 amps and spike on startup or if the rotor locks.

When a normal ceiling fan is turned on, it consumes 75 watts of electricity.

However, according to code, a circuit with 15 amps can use 80% of its breaker. As a result, it will provide around 1200 watts of usable current.

When these parameters are considered, we can see that a 15-amp circuit can serve around 16 ceiling fans. providing the circuit isn’t connected to anything else, such as your air conditioner.

As a result, it’s only required if you’re installing ceiling fans in a large space. Otherwise, a 15-amp circuit will be ineffective.

A 20-amp circuit on the other side can support up to 20 ceiling fans. Besides this, on your 20-amp circuit, you can use 12-gauge wire for the wiring.

To understand how many watts a typical ceiling fan uses (it doesn’t need to be on a 20-amp circuit), you’ll find that a typical ceiling fan consumes anywhere from 10 to 120 watts. It varies based on brand, model, condition, speed settings, and other factors.

At moderate settings, a typical fan will use roughly 75 watts.

The average ceiling fan states that 16 watts are needed for speed 1 or the low settings. Speed 2 on a regular fan uses 27 to 30 watts.

An average fan uses 45 watts at medium speed and 55 watts at top speed. On average, a ceiling fan that runs at speed five or higher consumes 75 watts.

Ceiling fans do not require any additional wiring. The wiring system is like a typical light installation; the ceiling fan amperage is no higher than many other devices or has a higher electrical current than running multiple light bulbs. (Read Wire Size For 100 Amp Sub Panel 100 Feet Away Guide)

A standard 12-gauge wire can be used to wire a ceiling fan. Also, a 12-gauge wire would be great if you installed an adjustable switch.

For a ceiling fan, 14-gauge wire can be used. However, you must use 14-gauge wire with the ground to comply with the rule for a modern wiring system. A 14-inch-gauge wire can carry enough electricity to power a conventional ceiling fan.

Even if you want to use it to power a giant ceiling fan, it’ll work. Ceiling fans use relatively little electricity in comparison, so you don’t need any extra wiring. While a 12-gauge wire is ideal, a 14-gauge wire will work fine for a ceiling fan.

Conclusion

Find out how many amps your ceiling fans use so you can get a general idea of how much power and amperage you need. Not to mention, the amp usage can be decreased by simple modifications in speed settings and such. Therefore, knowing the amperage beforehand can come in handy.