Is the electric consumption by an A.C. in fan mode equal to its consumption in cooling mode?
No. Fan mode will be around 1-3 amps. With the Condenser unit active (cooling cycle) the amperage will vary between 12 and 57 amps. In the winter if you have gas heat, the power bill for elecrical will be about the same. With heat strips your consumption will be about 12 amps on a smaller unit (gas is always better for heat), but should not exceed 30 amps even on the largest unit. On an HVAC unit the ‘blower’ always uses the least amount of wattage or amps. A typical HVAC unit in cooling mode will take right around 38 amps of power. For more info on load calculations tune into lesson #2 on my softcellelectrical channel on You tube. In five lessons you will understand electricity completely.
