By a large margin. A fan or ceiling fan consumes 30 to 60 W, compared with 500 to 900 W for a 2.5 to 3.5 kW split at full load, or 10 to 15 times less electricity. The key nuance: a fan does not cool the air, but speeds up sweat evaporation and gives a feeling of coolness 2 to 3 °C lower. Above 32-33 °C ambient temperature, it is no longer sufficient. Good practice: use a fan first, with air conditioning as a supplement at a 26 °C setpoint. This combination divides total air conditioning consumption by 2 without loss of perceived comfort.
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