Friends don't let friends misuse ceiling fans.
This should be an open and shut case, right? You’re feeling hot in the scorching Atlanta summer, you’re sensitive to your electricity usage and so you flip on the ceiling fan. Instant, cheap coolness, right? Not so fast.
While it’s true that the moisture on you skin will evaporate and help you feel cooler with circulating air, there are a few points to consider when deciding if this is truly an efficient way to cool your home.
1) How high are your ceilings? If you have standard 8 or 9 foot ceilings, then yes, circulating the air will help you feel cooler and not significantly raise your energy usage. However, if you have vaulted ceilings, you will actually be increasing your energy usage. Why? Heat rises and cool air falls. This creates a natural band of cooler air at the bottom of your rooms. If you turn on a ceiling fan and disturb this layer, you will actually be cooling EVERY square inch of air in your room, not just the cool band where you live. The consequences? Higher, more uncomfortable temps and higher electricity bills. Best to leave the ceiling fan off in this instance.
2) On a porch, let ‘er rip! Air velocity here is the name of the game. And don’t forget the lemonade!
3) Winter is actually the better time to use an indoor ceiling fan. Yes, you read that correctly. In winter, the hot air collects at the ceiling. Moving this air gently down (on the lowest speed possible) will actually help you feel warmer at lower temps.
Now that you’re an expert on ceiling fan usage, now is the time to amaze and impress your friends! And you thought, this would be a boring blog…
