Adjusting your ceiling fan to maximize the benefits of your HVAC system in summer and winter is vital. Ceiling fans can cool your home during summer, not just by moving the air around, but also by helping your HVAC system work more efficiently.
In winter, for those of you living in colder regions, a ceiling fan can improve the efficiency of your heating system. The fan can help distribute the warm air around the room, keeping things cozy.
Understand Fan Settings
If you want to use your ceiling fans year-round, it’s essential to know how to set the airflow for each season. Since the fan doesn’t actually cool or warm the rooms in your home, the direction of the fan’s breeze matters. Each direction maximizes the warmth or coolness of each room, depending on the season.
In the summertime, you will want to set your fan so that the blades turn counterclockwise. This will ensure that the cool air from your air conditioner is pulled up, allowing a cool breeze to fill the room and reducing “hot spots”.
When winter approaches, you will want to switch the airflow direction to clockwise so that the warm air that rises to the ceiling is pushed downward into your living space.
You can easily change the direction your fan blades are blowing by:
- Turning off the fan and making sure the blades have stopped moving
- Check out where the switch is located on the motor housing, and it is usually a small toggle switch
- Flip the switch to change the rotation direction
- Turn on the fan
If you are fortunate to have a fan with a remote control, this step is even easier!
More About Energy Efficiency
You can evenly spread the heat from your system on those frigid days by using a ceiling fan, which can also help keep your furnace from overworking.
A home with high ceilings can make some areas of the room hotter or colder, and a ceiling fan can distribute the air more evenly.
To ensure that the blades are moving in the correct direction for the season, stand beneath the fan and turn it on. If you feel a breeze, the fan is moving counterclockwise and should be perfect for summer heat. Don’t feel any air movement? Then you are in a clockwise setting, which is precisely what you need for the cold winter months.
Need A Professional?
Perhaps you do not have ceiling fans in your home. Contacting an electrician can help determine the size of the blades and the length of the downrod needed, depending on the room size and ceiling height. Also, it is recommended to have the installation performed by a professional electrician to ensure your ceiling has the appropriate framing and clearance for a fan.
If you have ceiling fans in your home that wobble or vibrate, it may be time to have an electrician check the unit’s stability. Ceiling fans installed on a box that is not rated for the weight and vibrations of a fan can be dangerous! If the fan doesn’t seem to help with air movement to cool or warm the room, it may not be the right size for the room’s square footage, and new Energy Star-rated fans can be more energy-efficient.
Contact Owings Mechanical at 410.549.3800 and let us help with all your home electrical needs and enjoy a warmer, energy-efficient home this winter!