What is the Carbon Footprint of Extractor Fans

What is the Carbon Footprint of Extractor Fans

By Ruth MacEachern

Product Manager

We all need to do our bit to protect the planet, and every decision we make will have some impact on the environment.  Individual choices to reduce our carbon footprint help contribute to making positive changes including the appliances we install in our homes.

If you have recently noticed damp or mould forming in your home because of condensation, you may be considering improving the ventilation in your property with a new extractor fan, choosing a more efficient modern model will help you reduce the risk of condensation, but can also help you cut your energy use.

Are alternatives to extractor fans more efficient

If you’ve recently noticed an increase in condensation in your home, you might have considered using a dehumidifier as an alterative to an extractor fan.  At first glance, the power usage of a small dehumidifier might make you think it is more efficient than an extractor fan, but that’s rarely the case.

Dehumidifiers need to run continuously to remove moisture from the air, and you may need multiple units to cover your entire property.  By comparison, although an extractor fan may appear to use more power, it is used intermittently – for a few minutes when the bathroom or kitchen is in use.  Modern extractor fans such as the EnviroVent Cyclone 7 incorporate a moisture sensor that detects water vapour in the air and adjusts the amount of power the fan uses to remove the humid air more quickly.

What contributes to carbon footprint

The amount of electricity used by an appliance is only one factor in the overall carbon footprint that it will have. 

Transportation is one of the biggest contributors to CO2 release in the world, and importing goods around the world can, in some cases, have more of an impact on the environment than the lifetime of use.  Choosing a UK manufactured product means that there is much less impact on the environment from the supply chain than there would be with a product made overseas.

Once an appliance’s useful life has ended, it needs to be disposed of.  While some components can, and are recycled, choosing products that are built to last helps to reduce the likelihood of your fan ending up in a landfill too soon. Products with fewer moving parts, long-life efficient fan assemblies, and Filterless designs are less likely to wear out as quickly as those made cheaply or which overstress their components.

Energy use is of course, the most obvious contributor to environmental impact, although the amount of emissions aren’t directly associated with the amount of power a fan uses.

While an extractor fan might have a high “on paper” power rating, it’s worth noting that a more powerful fan will be able to remove moisture laden air from a room more quickly and not need to run for as long.  Extractor fans with a built-in humidity sensor can adjust their power level appropriately to the amount of water vapour in the air to shorten their running time and switch off automatically once normal levels are achieved. An underpowered fan may have to run for much longer, and consumer more electricity overall.

Find out more

EnviroVent manufacture extractor fans in the UK and offer a long-term warranty.  Featuring energy efficient designs and moisture sensors, they use less energy in the long term and help you do your bit for the environment by reducing your carbon footprint.  Book a free home survey from one of our local ventilation specialists to find out what extractor fans are best suited to your home.  Simply enter your postcode below to get started.