The fan or the AC...which is cooler for your wallet?

I've always wondered which was really more bang for your buck, the osculating fan or the air conditioning unit? Yeah the fan won't cool your entire home the way a AC unit will, but are you better off paying the extra bucks for overall comfort, or is it cheaper to load up your house with fans and create some kind of chill vacuum in whatever room you'll occupy. For a guy like myself, saving a few bucks on the electric bill can be deciding factor when choosing to take the girlfriend to Olive Garden or strongly suggesting dollar items on the Wendy's drive-thru menu.
Obviously a fan uses less energy so it wins hands down in this category. This can be very important when trying to save money during the very hot summer months. I know in Tucson it can be downright unbearable without AC, and that's where the trade-off can be difficult. If you trade an AC system for a fan, just one fan won't do, you'll need three or four, and they must be strategically placed in order to cool the parts of your home you will be using. This can be frustrating because who plans out what room they will spend each minute of their day in ahead of time? That's where the AC becomes valuable because it cools everything. The other issue that I know many people in the 18-24 age group deal with is the fact that you probably aren't home that much because you have school, you work, and you have other commitments that keep you out except when it's time to sleep, so what should you do in this case. In an article I read written by Eric Bartels for the Portland Tribune, there are some suggestions for maximizing your cooling needs while minimizing your overall cost. You can take advantage of natural nighttime cooling by opening windows at night and closing them around sunrise, allowing colder air in, and trapping it inside during the day. Keeping the sun out during the day can be important too. Also, if you won't be home all day, don't cool anything. Who cares what the temperature is when you aren't there? Unless you have a pet, a 80 degree household means nothing when it's empty. So shut off the AC or the fan when you're gone. It will only take your AC a few minutes to cool the house when you get home, and a fan cools instantaneously, so there is no delay getting that cool air you desire. The bottom line is a fan will save you tons of money in the end, even if you have to run two or three or four fans at once to get the chill you're looking for. But even if you wanna take the cold air short cut and run your AC, you can still manage your AC use wisely, so you can be taking the lady out for fine wine and pasta, not breaded chicken-based products and greasy fries, unless she wants chicken patties and fries, which just means you can go buy more video games. Here are some interesting articles I found on the issue...

Single-room air conditioning vs. fan by Eric Bartels
http://www.swcommconnection.com/sustainable/story.php?story_id=118373865364855300

Ceiling Fan Questions and Answers by Hansen Wholesale
http://ceilingfans.hansenwholesale.com/?cat=12

To Air Is Human by Umbra Fisk
http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2004/07/26/umbra-windows/

The Average Green Guy

Hi, I'm Eric, representing all of those guys out there who call themselves the average male. We like sports, good food, watching a Judd Apatow film, listening to classic rock, and buying new clothes to get out of doing laundry. The aim of this blog will be to take a look at issues affecting the everyday man, putting an environmentally conscious spin on the concerns of guys who think hot sauce can go on any food and still be good.