Ceiling Fan Efficiency for Hot & Cool Climates

Today’s ceiling fans have better, quieter more efficient motors, better more durable materials and overall quality is greatly improved from years past. In addition to quality improvement function, convenience and energy efficiency has also greatly improved. Getting the most from your ceiling fan and optimizing the energy efficiency and performance is simply a matter of adjusting a few settings on your fan.

During the summer months when your home is filled with warm air your ceiling fan may be your best friend. Most ceiling fans come with two directions forward and reverse changing the direction can either be done by flipping a switch on the fan, using the pull chain or if installed using the remote control operation. The forward direction will push the air down causing a slight breeze, the breeze makes it feel cooler but the actual temperature will not change. If used in conjunction with your air conditioner and letting the fan circulate the air you could save up to 5%-10% for every 1F increase of the thermostat.

 
During the winter months you want to reverse the direction of the ceiling fan so that it air is blown upward. If you kept the setting of your fan to blow the air downward it would feel more like a cool draft. So as the air is blown upward it will help to circulate and disperse the warm air that settles up near the ceiling. By circulating and efficiently moving the warm air you can lower the furnace setting thereby saving on overall energy used.