# How do I calculate the carbon footprint of a ceiling fan, including its use?

Canonical: https://senseible.earth/answers/ceiling-fan-carbon-footprint-per-unit

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.

- [Use-phase emissions for pumps and motors](https://senseible.earth/answers/use-phase-emissions-for-pumps-and-motors)
- [Electric motor footprint per unit](https://senseible.earth/answers/electric-motor-carbon-footprint-per-unit)
- [Grid electricity factor](https://senseible.earth/emission-factors/grid-electricity)

Sources: [GHG Protocol Product Standard](https://ghgprotocol.org/standards), [BEE Standards and Labelling programme, ceiling fans](https://beeindia.gov.in), [CEA CO2 Baseline Database, version 21.0](https://cea.nic.in/cdm-co2-baseline-database/?lang=en)

Last reviewed 2026-10-20.