How Much Energy Do Extractor Fans Use

Find out how much it costs to run an extractor fan

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

Extractor fans are the most effective way to reduce the humidity in wet rooms such as bathrooms and kitchens.  They provide excellent ventilation that removes the saturated air from the room and expels it to the exterior of your home and prevents it from spreading elsewhere.

Wall or ceiling-mounted extractor fans draw moist air out of bathrooms and kitchens and release it outside the house so that it does not spread into other rooms where it can cause condensation that could develop into damp and mould patches. These fans use electricity when working, so when  energy prices are high, you might be concerned about how expensive they are to run and whether the benefits are worth the cost.

Why you need extractor fans

The main purpose of extractor fans in bathrooms and kitchens is to reduce humidity.  They do this by sucking the moisture laden air from the room so that it can be replaced by air from elsewhere in your home.  Circulating the air in this way stops the humidity levels from getting too high and in turn this reduces the amount of condensation that can settle on surfaces such as windows and walls.

Bathing or showering in hot water can release more than 1.7 litres of water into the air in your bathroom. If this is allowed to spread throughout your home, you will notice it condense on windows and cold exterior walls, where it can cause damp to develop. Over time, damp patches can cause plaster to crumble away from the wall, lead to expensive decorating bills, and create an environment where potentially harmful mould can thrive.

While opening windows in bathrooms or your kitchen when in use can help some steam to escape, the flow of air will normally be into rather than out of the house.  This can actually worsen your condensation problems elsewhere.

Mechanical ventilation systems such as extractor fans are carefully placed to be as effective as possible.

Are extractor fans efficient?

Modern extractor fans are designed to meet the most stringent energy efficiency guidelines. They use ultra-low energy motors and feature internal aerodynamics that make the air flow  as clean as possible to minimise their energy use.

Extractor fans such as the EnviroVent Cyclone 8 feature a moisture sensor which measures the amount of water vapour in the air and adjusts the power levels of the fan accordingly to ensure that it works as quickly as possible while also using as little energy as is required.

Advancements in design mean that modern extractor fans are much more efficient than their predecessors.

Aside from a less efficient design than modern versions, older extractor fans may also use more power as they age. As bearings wear and fan blades become damaged or dirty, the fan will require more energy to move the same amount of air and as such, may no longer achieve the same levels of performance as they once did, which can mean that they may not remove as much moisture from the air as you need.

What does it cost to run an extractor fan?

Different types of extractor fans have different power levels depending on the size and type of room they are used to ventilate. A kitchen extractor fan will use more power than one in a bathroom, although, over time, the running costs could be similar if the bathroom fan is used more frequently.

Over the course of a year, the typical running cost of an EnviroVent Cyclone 8 extractor fan in a bathroom is £4.47 based on current prices, while a similar model mounted in a kitchen is higher at an annual cost of £11.91.

Beyond standard extractor fans, you can also consider models which have built-in heat recovery technology, such as the EnviroVent HeatSava. These models capture the warmth of air being extracted from a room and use it to heat incoming air. With up to 75% thermal efficiency, such fans can reduce your heating costs.

Find out more

Suppose your current extractor fans are no longer working as effectively as they once did, or you have problems with condensation in your home. In that case, consider upgrading to a more modern, efficient model. Our local specialists can visit your home to conduct a free survey that will identify the causes of condensation and measure whether your current ventilation is sufficient. Enter your postcode below to find an expert in your area who can help.