Try These Five Tips for Using Ceiling Fans Along with Your AC 

If your intent is to stay cool without increasing your energy bills, you’ll certainly count on your ceiling fan considerably this summer. A good approach is to use a fan without AC until it gets excessively hot, then turn the fan off and run the air conditioner instead. This is a mistake! Having the ceiling fan and air conditioner together is the optimal way to increase comfort and energy savings. 

It may seem unnecessary to try two cooling methods simultaneously, but fans make your air conditioner more efficient. Use these five tips to help you get the most from your cooling system this summer. 

Install a Ceiling Fan 

First things first—if you don’t already have ceiling fans throughout your home, consider installing a number of them. You should have the opportunity to switch out any light fixture in the heart of the room for a smooth, reliable and eye-catching ceiling fan. 

Remember that ceiling fans function best when the blades rest seven to nine feet above the floor, 10 to 12 inches from the ceiling, and at least 18 inches from the walls. This means your ceilings have to be at least eight-feet high, and rooms with vaulted ceilings will not benefit the same amount. 

As you might imagine, larger fans can move more air than shorter ones. Choose a 36- to 44-inch diameter fan for rooms up to 225 square feet and 52-inch fans for bigger rooms. You can also set up multiple fans in a line to cool rooms longer than 18 feet. 

Check the Fan’s Direction 

Ceiling fans can work in both directions. Verify yours is set to spin counterclockwise in the summertime. This forces air back down to make the breeze seem more obvious. 

If you’re uncertain whether a fan is turning the right way, switch it on and sit directly below it. If the breeze seems inadequate for how fast the blades are spinning, you might need to change the direction. 

Some fans have a remote control, especially if they’re mounted on a vaulted ceiling. Check for a button on the remote to reverse the direction. If your fan doesn’t possess a remote, inspect the motor housing for a reversing switch. 

Ceiling fans can spin either way because driving the air upward is useful for lowering heating bills in the winter. So when the seasons change, flip your fan to rotate clockwise and use it on low to distribute warm air around the ceiling back to the living room without producing a breeze. This approach is very useful in stairwells and rooms with vaulted ceilings. 

Turn Up the Thermostat 

You need to adjust the thermostat to enjoy energy savings from using a ceiling fan in the summer. Don’t worry about feeling uncomfortable—the “wind chill” effect produced by turning on a ceiling fan makes the room feel about 4 degrees cooler. This approach, which can make winter cold miserable, is the trick to home comfort and energy savings in the summer. 

If you generally keep your house at 75 degrees, try adjusting the thermostat to 77 or 78 degrees to make up for the wind chill effect produced by using a ceiling fan. Then, change your outfit to boost your comfort level even more. Dressing for the season allows you to enhance comfort while reducing cooling costs. 

Turn Off the Fans in Unusued Areas 

It’s a common belief that ceiling fans reduce the temperature in the room. Of course, they make you feel cooler, but all they do is move air around. As a result, there’s never a reason to keep a ceiling fan working in an unused room. Fans will cost pennies on the dollar to run versus air conditioners, but every little bit counts, so turn off the fan if you’re the last person to leave the room. 

See Your Energy Savings Grow 

If you use the tips featured above, you will recognize a reduction in your air conditioning expenses all summer long. After all, you can save approximately 3 percent on your cooling costs for every degree you increase the thermostat. And by using the wind chill effect formed by the ceiling fan, you can receive savings without sacrificing comfort. 

Keep Cool with Help from Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning 

Clearly, you shouldn’t overlook the impact ceiling fans can have on your home comfort in summer! If you need air conditioning services sometime soon, turn to Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning to fix your problem fast. Our technicians can help your air conditioner run as effectively as possible, ensuring it works in tandem with your ceiling fans to keep your home and family comfortable for less. Call us today to arrange an appointment with the HVAC pros at Service Experts Heating & Air Conditioning.