Our Northeast Ohio summer has already been one for the record books, both in temperatures and the amount of energy you’re likely using to cool your home. Thankfully, there’s a way to keep things cool and lower your energy bills at the same time. Use a ceiling fan – or several of them – in conjunction with your air conditioner.
When you use a ceiling fan, it circulates the air, creating a wind-chill effect that increases the cooling power of your HVAC system. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, when you use a ceiling fan in a room you can raise the setting on the thermostat up to 4 degrees without reducing your comfort level – and each degree will lower your energy costs by 3-4 percent.
Ceiling fans do not actually lower the temperature; they make the room feel cooler by providing a mild breeze. On days when the temperature isn’t too high, you can make the environment comfortable by turning off the air conditioning, turning on the fans and opening the windows.
Here are five tips for using ceiling fans:
- Install the ceiling fan only when the room has a ceiling height of at least 8 feet – making sure the blades are more than 7 feet from the floor and 10-12 inches below the ceiling.
- Maintain a distance of 18 inches between fan blades and walls.
- Set blade rotation counter-clockwise for maximum circulation during summer months. Do the opposite in the winter to circulate warm air down into the room.
- Turn fans off when leaving rooms to save electricity (fans do not lower the air temperature; they only circulate the air).
- Check your fan for the Energy Star label. This is your guarantee that the fan will use 65 percent less energy than a standard model.
This summer, don’t let the heat stop you from being comfortable in your own home. Install ceiling fans and use them together with your A/C; together they do a better job than either one alone.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area