During the summer, ceiling fans are a great way to have increased comfort while also reducing the work load on your air conditioning system. In the regular operation of a ceiling fan, the rotating blades force room air down and create a “wind chill” effect: the movement of the air pushes away the heat envelope from around your body, allowing you to release more heat and feel cooler.
Winter is here now, and you might think that there’s little reason to keep the ceiling fans running. But fans can serve an important role in helping to improve comfort during colder weather as well as take some of the burden off the heating system. Here’s how:
Reverse the fan rotation during winter
If you look up at a ceiling fan when it’s running, you’ll see the blades turning counter-clockwise. This is the direction you want for comfort during hot weather. On the base of the fan, there should be a switch. This switch will reverse the direction that the blades turn, so when you look up at them they will be turning clockwise.
What this reversed movement does is draw the cooler room air up to the ceiling, where it then forces down the warm air that gathers at the top of the space. This warm air travels down the sides the room. The effect is a better distribution of warm air throughout the space (the heat from forced-air heating systems rises and collects at the top of a room first) while preventing the strong air currents that create a wind-chill effect. You will not need to run the heating system as often thanks to the way the fan spreads around warmth. For the best effect, keep the fan on a lower power level.
If you want help with energy efficient heating for your home, call Purl’s Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning. We serve Clovis and Fresno, CA.