Allergy: Make an air purifier with a box fan
You can make an air purifier with a box fan.
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As temperatures rise, so does electricity bills. One way to reduce costs is to use a window fan to cool your home. They consume less energy than air conditioners and become friendly in your pocketbooks and environment.
But in which direction should they face? It depends, experts say. This is what we know.
Where to turn the window or box fan: in and out?
What you need to remember about box fans is that they’re perfect for pushing the heat Outside And breathe in the cold air in.
Experts recommend spraying window fans onto your home on the coolest side of the house. According to the US Department of Energy, windows near shady outdoor areas usually provide the highest intake.
In the west of your home, or in the hottest side, face your window fans and make sure they’re blowing the air out of your home.
What if my house has a second floor?
If your home has multiple floors, consider placing a window fan facing upstairs where indoor temperatures are usually the hottest.
How much electricity does the box fan use?
If you’re experiencing trouble setting up a window or box fan, you probably want to know if you’re actually saving money, right?
Experts say most box fans use 50-100 watts of power per hour. He says that a 20-inch box fan consumes about 50-75 watts per hour. This is about 50% more than a standard ceiling fan, but much less power than an air conditioner that can use between 500 and 5,000 watts of power.
So you might wonder how much power that box fan sacrifices each month. Luckily there is a simple formula that you can use.
How much does it cost to run a box fan?
A simple answer? About 20 cents a day.
That’s if you’re running a 50-watt fan 24 hours a day and the electricity price is rounded from 0.17/kWh (16.52¢/kWh), according to data from the US Energy Information Agency.
So one box fan running non-stop is usually over $6 a month. That amount can change regularly, so check the amount of electricity you pay for each kilowatt-hour energy.
Understanding appliance costs
To find out how much your home appliance costs per hour, use this formula courtesy of your home or garden.
Multiply the appliance wattage by the number of hours to use. Divide it by 1,000 and then multiply the cost per kilowatt-hour of electricity. The formula looks like this:
cost = (power(watts) x time(in hours)) / 1,000 x 1 kilowatt-hour cost.
So, in the above example box fan, the equation is: (50 watts x 24 hours) / 1,000 x $0.17 = $0.20 per 0.17.
John Tufts covers the Indianapolis star’s evening breaks and trending news. Send him news tips at jtufts@gannett.com.
