Using ceiling fans in the summer is common in many Peachtree City-area homes, but many homeowners turn their fans off once the weather starts to get cold. However, did you know that there’s a key reason to run your ceiling fans while you’re heating your home? 

Contrary to popular belief, ceiling fans don’t cool the air. They move it. In the summer, your air is cooled by your air conditioner. The ceiling fan moves that air over your skin, providing a wind chill effect. Because heat naturally radiates into cooler spaces, the heat from your skin moves into the cooler air, and leaves you feeling more comfortable. As a result, you can lower your thermostat by as much as four degrees before you notice any difference in your comfort level. While four degrees doesn’t sound like much, over the course of an entire cooling season it can add up to significant energy savings.

How does this help you in the winter? During the summer, the fan pushes air downward by rotating its blades counterclockwise. There is a switch, usually located on the motor casing, that allows you to reverse the direction of the fan blades so that they rotate clockwise. This forces air up toward the ceiling.

As we all know, heat rises. When your furnace blows warm air into your house, it tends to migrate toward the ceiling, leaving cooler air down near the ground where you’re at. To compensate, you can turn up your furnace. Unfortunately, this will cost you money as the furnace burns more fuel.

Your other option is to set your fan to rotate clockwise. As it sends air to the ceiling, the warm air that collected there is forced to the ground where you can benefit from it. This allows your furnace to operate at a lower temperature while you stay comfortable. You use less energy and save money at the same time.

For more information about ceiling fans or other HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) matters, contact Powers Heating & Air. We’re proud to serve the Peachtree City area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree, GA and surrounding areas 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.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock