Making the most of your ceiling fans requires conscious planning — planning that’s based on a solid understanding of which practices actually lead to energy savings with ceiling fans and which don’t. To leverage your energy savings with ceiling fans all year long, you’ll need to develop a few smart, consistent ceiling-fan habits that will maximize the return on your energy efficiency investment.
The Savings Aren’t Automatic
You may be surprised to learn that simply buying, installing, and turning on a ceiling fan will not, in itself, save energy. Like most things in life, it’s not that simple. The savings a ceiling fan can provide, while often substantial, aren’t automatic. Using your ceiling fan responsibly and wisely is where the savings come in. At Thermacon Service Company, we’re here to help our Orange TX neighbors do just that.
A Few Basic Energy-Saving Ceiling Fan Facts
Knowing the basics can help you enjoy year-round savings from your ceiling fans.
Net Energy Savings
For your ceiling fan to actually save you money on utilities, your HVAC system will have to save more energy from the fan’s use than the energy it takes to run the fan. While that may sound rather obvious, it’s important to be aware that it’s possible to actually spend more money on utilities, rather than less, through extremely careless ceiling fan use. And though that drastic scenario may be unlikely for most responsible homeowners, inconsistent or uninformed ceiling fan use could cause you to simply break even or see a less-significant energy efficiency improvement than you’d like. To see consistent — and considerable — savings, you’ll need to take a few specific actions.
HVAC Thermostat Adjustment
The key to saving energy when you use your ceiling fan is changing your thermostat setting in response to the increased heating or cooling efficiency the fan makes possible. This added efficiency can mean setting your thermostat as much as five degrees higher in summer and at least a few degrees lower in winter without any loss of comfort. Doing this consistently day after day is where the real savings come in. However, there’s a bit more to it than that.
Effective Ceiling Fan Use
Saving energy — and money — also depends on how you use your ceiling fan. Here are a few tips on using it effectively:
- Run your fan in the proper direction to enhance heating or cooling. Set it to run clockwise in winter and counterclockwise in summer. You’ll know you have it right if, when you stand below the fan, you can feel the air blowing on you in summer but not in winter.
- Understand how a ceiling fan works to increase indoor comfort. At the proper setting, your ceiling fan will blow cooler air downward in summer, making you feel more comfortable even at higher ambient temperatures. In winter your fan will draw cooler air up from below forcing the warmer air from above down into the room. Using the lowest fan speed in winter will prevent drafts.
- Use your fan only in an occupied room. If everyone leaves the room, turn it off.
- Turn off both your fan and your HVAC system when you leave home — especially for long periods.
Call Thermacon Service Company for more information on year-round energy savings with ceiling fans in Orange TX.
