During the spring, your utility bills experience a pleasant drop. Yet summer is on its way, and the bills are due to increase once again. Now’s the perfect time to begin thinking of ways to keep those utility costs low year-round.
One of the best ways to save money is to use commodities that you already have in the house, such as ceiling fans. Unlike space heaters, ceiling fans help to reduce your monthly bills when used in conjunction with your cooling and heating system.
How Can Fans Save Money?
Modern ceiling fans are able to rotate in two directions. In the forward position, the fan blades turn counter-clockwise if you are looking up at them. The fan pushes cool air downwards, speeding up the evaporation of moisture on your skin and giving you that cooling feeling. While it does not actually reduce the room’s temperature, you feel more comfortable and are therefore able to raise your thermostat by a few degrees. Those few degrees add up to noticeable savings.
When the fan blades are set in the reverse position, they turn clockwise. This direction pulls the cool air upward, forcing warmer air that collects near the ceiling back down into the room. This is where room occupants can feel the warmth. The thermostat also senses the warmer air, and as a result delays kicking on the furnace, saving you money on heat.
How Do I Adjust the Ceiling Fan?
Adjusting your ceiling fan’s direction is not difficult and may be done quickly. All you need to do is observe the direction the blades are currently turning by standing underneath them and looking up. Next, shut the fan off and place a stepladder underneath. Find the small switch on the fan’s motor housing. Just adjust the switch to make the fan go in the opposite direction. Most ceiling fans have a default counter-clockwise blade rotation, since this is by far the most common setting. In truth, most homeowners aren’t aware they can use the fan to help with heating during the winter. They just turn them off in October and turn them back on in April or May.
Ernst Heating & Cooling proudly serves Southwest Illinois, including Alton, Bethalto and Troy. Contact us today to learn more great money-saving tips.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Alton, Glen Carbon, Highland, Greenville, Bethalto, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Maryville, Staunton and Troy, Illinois 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.Â
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