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Saving Money on Electricity: Ceiling Fans
Photo by Bryan Kemp
While dusting your ceiling fans today, keep a few things in mind that can help you save money on electricity!
Ceiling fans use very little electricity, but can actually do a lot to keep you cool in the summer (and warm in winter!). Before running your fans, make sure you inspect the direction your blades turn to ensure you will get the desired results.
What direction do your blades turn?
There is a switch on your ceiling fan that changes the direction your blades rotate from clockwise to counterclockwise. Have you ever wondered exactly why that switch exists?
Counterclockwise: When your ceiling fan rotates counterclockwise, the air is blown down into the room. This setting should be used in summer to cool you off.
Clockwise: When your ceiling fan rotates clockwise, the air is blown upward. Since hot air rises, your warmest air is at the top of your room in winter. If you turn your fan on in the winter, you can actually help circulate that hot air back into the room.
More ways to save money on electricity.
Great post because this addresses the most common question people have regarding ceiling fans.
However, to be more clear…I would like to add this:
Ceiling Fans cool you off by creating a wind chill effect, which is why during the summer you want the air blowing directly down on you with the fan operating on a medium to high speed running counterclockwise.
During the winter, you DO NOT want to feel the wind chill effect, so you need to run your fans at a lower speed in the clockwise direction. When your fan is operating clockwise, it is pulling the air from below the fan up to the ceiling and then out towards the walls…which minimizes the wind chill effect by directing the airflow away from you.
Ultimately, the direction of the airflow has less impact on bringing warm air off the ceiling since in either direction, you are simply circulating air and mixing it up. Avoiding the wind chill effect is more important…which is what you accomplished by adjusting the speed and direction.
Some other tips on ceiling fan direction:
During the summer, it is a good idea to run your fan in reverse (clockwise) on medium to high speed if your fan is over a dining room table and you are eating so the fan does not cool off your food.
The same is true if you are doing paperwork, playing cards or some other activity where you don’t want the fan blowing your cards around but still want to feel the breeze.
Also, in rooms where the fan is too far away to feel the direct airflow beneath it, try running it on high speed in reverse and you will find that it creates a wind chill effect further away from the fan, but not below it.
Here’s a link to even more information about ceiling fan direction.
Thanks for the comment! That is exactly how you save money by using your ceiling fan. Not only does the ceiling fan circulate the air your A/C is producing so your A/C doesn’t have to run as hard, the wind chill can make the room feel cooler than the true temperature which extends your ability to stay comfortable at higher temperatures.
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