How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a ceiling fan, including its use?
Add the materials (copper or aluminium winding, electrical steel, aluminium or steel body and blades, capacitor, packaging) and your assembly energy per fan for the cradle-to-gate figure. Use is usually far larger: rated watts x hours a year x years of life x the grid factor. BLDC fans cut use-phase emissions sharply.
Cradle to gate
- Motor: copper or aluminium winding wire and electrical steel stampings.
- Body and blades: die-cast aluminium, steel sheet or plastic.
- Capacitor, or electronics for BLDC fans.
- Painting or powder coating ovens.
- Assembly and testing: electricity.
- Carton and thermocol or pulp inserts.
Use phase dominates
A fan runs for years. Use-phase emissions = rated watts x hours per year x years of life / 1,000 x the grid factor. State your hours and life assumptions. BEE star labelling for ceiling fans, mandatory since January 2023, gives the rated input power and service value you need.
Which category
For the fan maker, energy used by customers is Scope 3 Category 11, use of sold products. It is reported for products that directly consume energy, like fans. It is not part of your own Scope 2.
Comparing models
Comparing an induction motor fan with a BLDC fan on use-phase emissions is a fair and useful claim, as long as you state the hours and the grid factor. The extra electronics in a BLDC fan add to its manufacturing footprint, so include them when you compare whole-life figures.
Worked example: use-phase emissions of two fans
- Assumed use: 8 hours a day, 300 days a year, 2,400 hours
- Induction motor fan at 50 W: 50 x 2,400 / 1,000 = 120 kWh a year; 120 x 0.710 = 85.2 kg CO2
- BLDC fan at 28 W: 28 x 2,400 / 1,000 = 67.2 kWh; 67.2 x 0.710 = 47.7 kg CO2
- Over 10 years: 852 kg versus 477 kg of CO2
- Assembly electricity: 30,000 kWh x 0.710 / 20,000 fans = 1.07 kg CO2 per fan
Wattage, hours and life are assumptions; use the BEE label data and your own assumptions, stated.
What Senseible does here
Senseible reads the plant's electricity bills (CEA grid factor 0.710 kg CO2 per kWh, CO2 Baseline Database version 21.0) and fuel invoices (IPCC 2006 defaults) into a fingerprinted Scope 1 and 2 record, the plant-level input to a per-unit figure. Bought-in materials go to the supplier evidence trail; product reports are self-declared drafts.
Sources: GHG Protocol Product Standard, BEE Standards and Labelling programme, ceiling fans, CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0
Last reviewed 2026-10-20.