If you’re not using ceiling fans year-round to circulate the air inside your home, then chances are you’re spending more money than you need to on heating and cooling and not being as comfortable as you could be, either. A ceiling fan can cool down any indoor or outdoor space, regardless of whether or not windows are open or A/C is on.
Ceiling fans cost pennies to operate compared to air conditioning. They’re a sustainable way to keep your home comfortable, inside and outside. You can choose from a wide variety of fan designs and many modern ceiling fans have “smart” features. Here’s why you should be using ceiling fans.
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Save on Heating and Cooling Costs
Cutting heating and cooling costs is probably the primary reason most people buy and install ceiling fans. You turn your thermostat up by as much as four degrees in the summer, and if you run a ceiling fan in the room you’re occupying, you’ll feel just as cool. It costs about $2.53 a month to run a 50-inch ceiling fan, but it can cost $35.57 a month to operate a window air conditioner. Operating a large central air conditioner can cost hundreds per month, depending on how big it is. Running a ceiling fan can help you save a lot of money by turning the A/C off when the weather is only a little hot and keeping the thermostat turned up a little higher even when it is. And because they use so much less power than A/C, they’re the more sustainable choice if you’re trying to reduce your carbon footprint.
Ceiling fans can help keep you warm in the winter, too. Hot air rises to the top half of the room, which can be an issue if you have high ceilings. Ceiling fans can push that hot air back down so you’ll feel warmer. You may find that you can turn the thermostat down a little more than normal and save on heating and cooling costs. The savings can really add up.
Be More Comfortable Year-round
Ceiling fans don’t actually change the temperature in your room, but change your perception of it by circulating air. In the summer, the breezes of a ceiling fan can cool your skin by evaporation. The blades should be set to turn counterclockwise for optimal cooling effect. In the winter, set the blades to turn clockwise to pull cold air up from the floor level. Most ceiling fans will have a switch on the outside of the motor housing which allows you to change the direction of the blades.
Add to Your Home’s Decor
When you go shopping for a new ceiling fan these days, you might be surprised at the wide variety of fan designs available. But these days, designers have really branched out. You can buy a sleek, swooping ceiling fan with only two or three blades carved from wood or cast in metal. You can buy an industrial-looking cage fan, or a chandelier ceiling fan. You can get a huge windmill ceiling fan with nine blades, or a vertical ceiling fan for a small space. You’re almost certain to find something that suits your tastes and fits into your home decor.
Improve Outdoor Spaces
Ceiling fans aren’t just for the indoors. You can use ceiling fans in covered outdoor spaces, like porches and patios, gazebos, and garages. Of course, if you want to hang a ceiling fan outdoors, you need to make sure you get a ceiling fan rated for outdoor use. Ceiling fans rated for indoor use won’t stand up to the moisture that they can encounter outdoors, even on a covered area. If you live in a coastal area, buy a fan rated for marine use – an ordinary fan will corrode quickly in the sea air, even a fan that is rated for outdoor use.
A fan is really the only way to cool down an outdoor area, and it can really make a difference, just as it does indoors. Outdoor fans can also help keep bugs away because the breezes they create are enough to overpower most flying insects.
Are you looking for a way to make your home more comfortable and sustainable, while saving money at the same time? You need to put in some ceiling fans! Ceiling fans may be a nod to the past, but they have a place in the future of sustainable home heating and cooling.
