Most people only use their home’s ceiling fans in the summer. They rightly believe the fans will complement the A/C, or provide enough cooling on a mild day where the air conditioning’s not necessary. Yet, they don’t realize that a ceiling fan can provide a similar service in the winter, complementing the work of your furnace, and allowing you to turn the thermostat down a few degrees and thus save on energy costs.
Most household ceiling fans have a small switch on the fan housing that by default is set for summertime use, making the fan blades turn counterclockwise. This provides the gentle breeze in living spaces that creates a cooling wind-chill effect. However, during the heating season, you should move the switch so the fan blades turn clockwise. This moves the air upward, displacing warm, conditioned air that collects in the upper parts of rooms, and forcing it downward. In doing this, the ceiling fan scatters the heat more evenly. You will not have to turn the thermostat as high when you use a ceiling fan to complement the work of your furnace.
If you live in a two-story house, chances are that warm air will collect on the upper floor, making it warmer than the bottom level. However, by locating a ceiling fan in the stairwell leading to the second floor (set to turn clockwise), you can help redirect some of that warm air back downstairs.
By using your ceiling fans effectively for each season, you can make your whole house more comfortable for your family, while paying less on your heating bill.
For more information on ways to save energy in your northeast Ohio home, please contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We provide quality HVAC services to Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga counties.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ceiling fans and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area