The resurgence of the popularity of ceiling fans likely stems from tight budgets and rising energy costs. And deservedly so. These nifty devices been used for cooling since long before the days of A/C. Now homeowners are turning to ceiling fans during all seasons – to enhance cooling in the summer and to warm up the home in winter. Both strategies will boost energy savings as well.
Off-season use
Running ceiling fans when temperatures are hot, but not yet hot enough to turn on the A/C, helps homeowners save on the electricity the air conditioner would have consumed. Running a ceiling uses as much energy as an ordinary 100-watt light bulb, meaning homeowners will pay under a dollar a day to run a ceiling fan.
For cooling
Throughout the summer season, ceiling fans are ideal to use in conjunction with an air conditioner. Spinning counter-clockwise, the blades push air down, creating a wind-chill effect on people in a room. This action, in turn, doesn’t actually “cool” the room, but it encourages evaporation, which makes people feel cooler. In fact, operating ceiling fans allows homeowners to turn up the thermostat by three to four degrees —without any noticeable reduction in comfort.
For heating
Many homeowners are well versed in using ceiling fans for cooling, but they may not know that the fans also can enhance heating when temperatures start to drop. To operate fans for warmth, the switch on the motor housing must be flipped so that the fan spins clockwise. This forces the blades to push air upward, displacing warm air that collects at the top of a room. The warm air is pushed outward and then down along the walls and back into the area where people can feel it. When ceiling fans run in this fashion, not only does it evenly distribute warm air in a room, but also prevents condensation on windows.
Manipulate your ceiling fans for warmth when it’s cold and to stay cool when it’s warm. For more expert HVAC advice in western Colorado, please contact us at Climate Control Company today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Aspen, Vail and the surrounding Western slope communities in Colorado about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ceiling fans and other HVAC topics, please visit our website.
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