Are Ceiling Fans in Winter Useful?

Do Not Display

As winter approaches, you might think you don't need that ceiling fan anymore. All summer, you had it on to augment the air conditioning, lifting up the hot air so it would rise to the ceiling while pushing down the cool air to occupant level. But hold on. Ceiling fans in winter can actually help make your heating efforts more efficient, keeping you warmer without having to turn up the thermostat. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you can cut energy use by as much as 15% in winter and by even more in the summer.

Here's how a ceiling fan can work to make you warmer this winter.

Reversing the Blades of Fans in Winter

It sounds counterintuitive, but the fact is that reversing your fan blades can increase the warmth the occupants of your home feel at ground level. In the summer, the blades should be running counterclockwise. If you have the type of blades that can be reversed with a switch, do so in the winter so they are running clockwise. This will push the warm air down from the ceiling, along the walls, and down to floor level. When the warm air is pushed down, it helps to muscle aside the colder, denser, heavier air that can be lingering at foot level.

• Fans in winter are particularly helpful in pushing down warm air when you have high ceilings.

• Always run the fan in winter at its lowest speed so you don't feel any windchill.

• Be sure that whenever you're replacing a ceiling fan, you get the type with two-way action.

Taking Care of the Ceiling Fan

Always check the fan blades to make sure the edges are clean. Dirty edges will increase the air drag on the blades, and the fan will work less efficiently.

Clean blades either with a vacuum wand attachment or by wrapping an old pillowcase around the blade, wiping it off and then emptying the pillowcase.

Most modern ceiling fans do not require oiling, nor can you change the bearings, as the motors are sealed.

For more on running ceiling fans in winter, contact Air Assurance.

Have You Changed Your Ceiling Fan Direction Yet?

When you're making the transition from heating to cooling your home this year, a related task that's well worth tackling is changing your ceiling fan direction. Once the blades are going in the right direction, you can use your ceiling fans strategically to boost your comfort, help you save energy and make your HVAC equipment last longer too.

Ceiling Fan Direction Simplified

Ceiling fan blades are purposefully designed to spin either forward or backward, and the direction of the spin is controlled via a small button found on the fan housing. This simple button adjustment allows you to change the blade rotation on a seasonal basis: in the summer, you want the blades spinning forward, in a counter-clockwise direction, so they create a cooling breeze. This “wind chill” helps perspiration evaporate and makes the body feel more comfortable.Making the change on all your ceiling fans isn't a difficult or time-consuming chore. Once the blades are set to spin counter-clockwise, you can:

• Save energy without sacrificing comfort by dialing up your usual thermostat temperature setting a few degrees. Doing so can help you lower your energy bills for the entire cooling season.

• Help lighten your heat pump or air conditioner's workload. By reducing strain and wear on your cooling equipment, there's less chance that it will break down at the height of the cooling season, and it will likely last longer as well.

Important Details to Know About Ceiling Fan Use

In our climate, ceiling fans can't completely replace air conditioning when the weather heats up, because they can't change the actual air temperature. What ceiling fans do is move air very effectively, and it's the cooling sensation created by air movement that lets you feel more comfortable. Understanding this makes it easy to see why it's only beneficial to run the ceiling fan in an occupied room. To avoid wasting any energy by having fans running unnecessarily, just make sure you switch the fan off whenever you exit a room.

To learn more ways to make your Broken Arrow home more comfortable this summer, contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Use Ceiling Fans to Improve Cooling Efficiency

Your residential cooling system shoulders most of the burden of keeping your indoor living spaces comfortable. This can lead to some significant utility bills, however, as your air conditioner or heat pump works to keep up with cooling demand. By using ceiling fans in rooms where you and your family gather most often, you can reduce those bills and increase cooling efficiency.

Why Use a Ceiling Fan?

Ceiling fans provide a way to increase air circulation in the rooms where they are used. This helps move cool air that has settled near the floor, recirculating already conditioned air and giving it a second chance to reduce the temperature in the room.

The drafts of air from ceiling fans also provide direct cooling when they make contact with your body. The air from your ceiling fan helps perspiration evaporate on your skin, which carries away heat and keeps you cool. This effect makes the room feel cooler than it actually is, allowing you to run your air conditioner at a lower level while still maintaining consistent comfort.

Considerations When Using a Ceiling Fan

• When using a ceiling fan, remember that the drafts created by the fan must make contact with your body for the cooling effect to take place. A ceiling fan doesn't cool a room. It cools a person.

• Fan blade rotation should be adjusted to allow the fan to send down into the room below. This is most effective at directed drafts where they are needed. In the winter, you can switch fan blade direction to boost heating system performance.

• Make sure there is enough clearance between the fan and the space below it to allow safe operation. Fan blades should be mounted at about seven feet or higher, and there should be 18 inches of space between the walls and blade tips.

Air Assurance provides top-quality heating and cooling services to customers in and around Tulsa. Contact us today for more information on how you can use a ceiling fan to boost cooling system efficiency and keep your indoor living environment more comfortable.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “eak_kk/Pixabay”

Energy Saving Tips for Summer

After a fleeting spring, another energy-guzzling season is here: Summer, when air-conditioning costs threaten to break the bank. However, don't despair. There are many energy saving tips available for homes, and most of them are relatively simple to put into effect.Summer Energy Saving Tips

• Program for savings. There's no reason why your A/C has to be cooling your home at a comfortable temperature 24/7. If you don't already have one, install a programmable thermostat, then set it to higher temperatures (low to mid-80s) for times when you're at work or away from home. Program the temperature to return to a cool and comfortable level shortly before you expect to arrive home.

• Use ceiling fans. A ceiling fan can make the temperature in a room seem like it's several degrees lower than it actually is, as long as the fan is blowing air at people in the room. You can turn up the thermostat several degrees and save energy, while not sacrificing comfort. Just remember to turn off the fan when the room is empty. The fan's cooling effect is useless if nobody's around to feel it.

• Open the windows. When the outside air isn't too hot or moist, open windows and doors and let natural ventilation cool off your home. Open them at nighttime, then seal the house in the mid-morning before it gets hot. That cool morning air should allow you to delay turning on the A/C a few hours.

• Weatherize the house. Seal air leaks in the home's envelope, using weatherstripping, caulk or spray foam depending on the size and type of leak. Make sure the attic is well insulated to keep heated air from gravitating downward into your living spaces.

• Schedule preventive maintenance. Before summer really heats up, schedule an A/C maintenance visit. This will ensure that your cooling system is ready to perform efficiently and effectively all summer long. Perform air-filter maintenance yourself at least monthly during the summer.

For more energy saving tips for this summer, please contact us at Air Assurance, providing quality HVAC services in the Broken Arrow area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Ondrej Supitar/StockSnap”

Don't Forget the Fans When It Comes to Low-Cost Comfort

Don't Forget the Fans When It Comes to Low-Cost Comfort

It's possible to cut the cost of cooling your home during our hot summers by raising the thermostat and using fans to provide cost-efficient cooling. Besides moving air, a fan can also reduce the cooling load in your home. These affordable devices use little electricity and make a measurable difference in your comfort during the cooling season. Ceiling fanIf your home's ceiling plate is eight feet or higher, you can use a ceiling fan in the rooms you use the most to move the air. If you choose one with a reversing switch, it can keep the room warmer in the winter, as well. These devices need to be carefully hung from a fan-rated box that's firmly attached to the ceiling for stability and safety. The blades should be between seven or eight feet from the floor for maximum comfort.Spot fanAlmost all homes have kitchen and bathroom fans that remove heat, humidity and odors. Their small size belies their capacity at removing air, so once the air's been cleared, it's a good idea to turn the fan off to save the conditioned air you've paid to cool.Attic fanInstalling an attic fan will keep your attic cooler because it pulls cooler outdoor air inside. This cuts your cooling load, since attic temperatures go well over 100 degrees F on a sunny day in the summer. An attic fan pulls cooler outdoor air in, which replaces the heated air in the attic. As the air cools, so does the insulation and the wood framing. Less heat in the attic translates to less warmth radiating into your home.These devices plug into an outlet, or you can use a solar attic fan. If your attic doesn't have an outlet, an electrician can wire it for you. Look for a fan with a thermostatic switch that turns on when temperatures reach a specific temperature.If you'd like to learn more about fans and increasing your comfort this summer, contact Air Assurance. We've provided outstanding HVAC services for the Broken Arrow region for more than 30 years.Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Using Ceiling Fans To Enhance Heating

You should be using ceiling fans to enhance heating just as much as you use them to provide a cooling breeze. Fans are very efficient and can help you lower your energy costs all year, but only if you use them correctly.Here are some tips for using ceiling fans to enhance heating:

• Change the blade direction. In the winter, heat rises to the ceiling and sits there, leaving the living space below cold. You need to find the switch on your fan motor and flip it so that the blades will rotate clockwise. This will blow air up toward the ceiling and out to the exterior walls so the heat near your ceiling circulates around the room.

• Use a low speed setting. You are simply trying to circulate the heat that is already in the room. Low speeds are better for balancing the airflow evenly without the cooling breeze that high speeds provide.

• Turn them off when the room is empty. It is important to remember that fans distribute heat throughout your living space; they don't actually change the temperature or create heat. If you run them when nobody is in the room you are doing nothing more than wasting energy.

• Set your thermostat accordingly. If you are warm, don't turn the fan off. Instead, lower the temperature on your thermostat a few degrees because your heating system takes much more energy to operate than your ceiling fans.

• Check the balance and size. If your fans are knocking or clicking when they rotate, you need to add fan weights or tighten the blades to keep the fan balanced. Also, make sure the blades are large enough for the space. 48 inches or less is usually sufficient for smaller bedrooms, while 48-60 inches are needed for large spaces.

If you want more information about using ceiling fans to maximize savings and comfort, contact Air Assurance. With over 25 years of service in Broken Arrow and the surrounding areas, we can help you with everything from sizing and installing new fans to programming your thermostat for increased efficiency during the winter.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). Image courtesy of Shutterstock