EC vs. AC Fans: Which One Really Costs Less?
Want to save energy? There’s one simple way to do it – swap your AC fan for an EC fan.
By swapping your AC fan to an EC fan, you’ll save loads on running costs:
* based on fans operating 365 days a year, with a unit cost of £0.17 for 1kW/h
| EC Fan + Control | AC Fan + Step Control | AC Fan + Resistor Control | |
| Initial costs | £448 | £454.90 | £264.90 |
| Yearly energy costs | £49.46 | £189.06 | £324.09 |
| Initial + 1yr energy | £497.46 | £643.96 | £796.99 |
| Initial + 5yr energy | £695.30 | £1400.20 | £2075.35 |
It’s worth remembering that when fans are slowed down with a resistor controller, you’ll get a loud buzzing noise and your fan life will be reduced!
Let’s break it down…
Initial Costs
EC Fan + EC Controller
- 200mm (8") Revolution Vector EC Fan - 1332m3/hr - £329.95
- G.A.S EC Fan Controller - £119.95
Initial cost: £448
AC Fan + Resistor Controller:
- 315mm (12.5") RVK315 A1 Fan - 1346m3/hr – £174.95
- SMSCom 4.5 Amp Twin Fan Speed Controller Mk2 - £89.95
Initial cost: £264.90
AC Fan + Step Transformer Controller:
-
315mm (12.5") RVK315 A1 Fan - 1346m3/hr – £174.95
-
GSE Step Transformer 2.5A - £279.95
Initial cost: £454.90
Running Costs
Here's what the overall running costs are based on.
Day time running 6 hours a day:
976m3/h with a filter Pressure of 100pa
| EC Fan + Control | AC Fan + Step Control | AC Fan + Resistor Control | |
| Wattage | 82.4 Watts | 162 Watts | 226 Watts |
| Yearly energy costs | £31.18 | £61.30 | £85.52 |
50% running 6 hours:
610m3/h with a filter, pressure drop 50pa
| EC Fan + Control | AC Fan + Step Control | AC Fan + Resistor Control | |
| Wattage | 26.7 Watts | 142 Watts | 226 Watts |
| Yearly energy costs | £10.10 | £53.74 | £85.52 |
30% night time running 12 hours a day:
366m3/h with a filter, pressure drop 20pa
| EC Fan + Control | AC Fan + Step Control | AC Fan + Resistor Control | |
| Wattage | 10.8 Watts | 97.8 Watts | 226 Watts |
| Yearly energy costs | £8.18 | £74.02 | £171.05 |
You'll make a huge saving every year, just by using an EC fan:
- EC = £65.85 saving a yr (over step/transformer)
- EC = £162.87 saving a yr (over resistor)
If you do Stick with AC Fans...
If you do stick with an AC fan, you can reduce running costs by using a Control Freak Dynamic Frequency Fan Controller.
Running costs won’t be as low as when you use an EC fan, but they’ll be much lower than if you use a resistor or transformer AC controller.
