How Fans Play a Crucial Role in Home Cooling Savings

Because cooling savings are more important than ever in these times, the most popular cooling option of the 1920s now makes more sense than ever. Ceiling fans were the high-tech home-comfort appliance of the early 20th century. The slowly rotating blades and gently circulating air, were common as homes became wired with electricity.

It turns out that a role for this efficient, effective device still exists. Today, ceiling fans function as an adjunct to central air conditioning, lowering energy costs and reducing wear on AC components while also maximizing cool indoor comfort.

Here’s why and how the ceiling fan is even more useful today than it was a century ago when it comes to achieving cooling savings:

• Ceiling fans don’t lower the temperature in a room, per se. However, the continuous air movement generated by the large blades of a ceiling fan makes living creatures such as humans and pets feel cooler — and not just a little bit: A properly sized ceiling fan can make a room feel up to 5 degrees cooler, even though the actual room temperature remains unchanged.
• The basic theory behind ceiling fan cooling is actually the summer version of winter’s windchill effect. The downward flow of air generated by the fan evaporates perspiration and disperses body heat more efficiently. This process enhances the feeling of physical coolness even though a thermometer in the room will show no change.
• A ceiling fan consumes a mere fraction of the electricity used by a central air conditioner. Operating in conjunction with a central AC, the fan enhances coolness while cutting overall costs.
• A homeowner can increase the AC thermostat setting by 5 degrees or more while running the fan — providing meaningful savings on air-conditioner operation — without sacrificing the cool comfort of occupants in the room.
• For best performance and maximum cooling savings, the ceiling fan should be sized to match the room where it will be installed. The calculation includes blade size and length, fan rotation speed, and square footage of the room.

For more information about the cooling savings and enhanced comfort provided by ceiling fans, contact Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning.