2 Ways Your Using Your Ceiling Fan Wrong

As summer approaches we all fall habit to reaching for the ceiling fan switch to cool down the house. This is a common way people might think they are staying cool during the summer. However, most home and business owners think of fans incorrectly and therefor raise their energy bills without even realizing. In this article we will explain why you should avoid the two main mistakes that most home and business owners fall for.

Mistake #1: Having a Ceiling Fan that is Set in the Wrong Direction

One main thing that homeowners and business owners do not realize is that ceiling fans have two different settings.

What many people do not know is that your fan has a switch that controls the direction in which the fan blades rotate. Depending on which time of year or season it is, you should run your fan either clockwise or counterclockwise.

When it is winter or colder outside, your fan should be going in a clockwise direction. When it is summer, your fan should be moving in a counterclockwise direction. The reasoning for the difference in direction is that when the air blows counterclockwise it creates a downward push of air which gives us the windchill effect.

If your fan is set in the wrong direction during the summer, you can be making yourself more uncomfortable. This is because a clockwise fan makes you feel warmer and should be utilized more in winter months.

How to fix this mistake:

In order to correct this mistake, we have a simple tip for our customers. We recommend you find the direction switch on your ceiling fan. Make sure that during the summer this is set in the counterclockwise direction.

You can test that you did this correctly by standing below the fan and seeing whether or not you feel air being pushed down in your direction.

Mistake #2: Turning on Your Ceiling Fan in Unoccupied or Unused Rooms

One common misunderstanding that most business and homeowners fall for is that a ceiling fan can lower the temperature in the room. This is a common yet false idea when it comes to cooling your home or business.

Ceiling fans in fact don’t change the temperature in the room at all. All they can do for us is give us a “wind chill” effect.

How this effect works is as the fan rotates around, it moves and pushes the air around. During this motion, the fan pushes the air in a downward motion. From this downward motion, it can cause moisture on you skin to evaporate at a quicker rate than normal. This process makes your body feel as if it is being cooled off when in fact the room temperature is staying the exact same.

Leaving the fan on when you aren’t in the room is a mistake. By leaving your fan on with no one there, you aren’t cooling anything down and no one is getting that “wind chill” effect. Rather, you are wasting money that you could be saving.

How to Correct this Mistake:

Since a ceiling fan is only effective when there are people in the room, our first recommendation would be to turn the fan off when no one is in the room. Only using your fan when people are in the room will ensure you are using your fan in the most effective way possible.

Another important tip that we give our customer is to turn your thermostat up about 4 degrees Fahrenheit if you are using ceiling fans. You can raise your thermostat 4 degrees and feel just as comfortable if your ceilings fans are on and being utilized properly. Installing a NEST Learning thermostat can help to keep your place cool and lower your energy bill. A NEST thermostat knows to turn itself down when you’re away, adapts to season changes, and you can control it from anywhere

What you are doing by turning you Air conditioning up is making it work less. By doing so you are saving energy and as a result also saving money.

Want More Tips on Cooling?

Here at Nelson Comfort we proudly serve our customers. We pride ourselves on our reputation for being honest and professional while providing superb heating and air conditioning customer service. We are more than happy to assist you with any other cooling questions you might have. Contact Nelson Comfort today to learn more about NEST Learning thermostat or if you need new HVAC installation or repairs.

About The Author

Dan Detmer

Dan Detmer is the owner of Nelson Comfort. Dan was born into the heating and cooling industry, coming from a family of well respected HVAC contractors in Dayton, Ohio. After working in the family business, Dan decided to work for a local HVAC wholesale business helping local contractors grow their business. When he felt his heart moving him back into the residential and light commercial business, Dan joined the Mortimer Heating & Cooling team in Cincinnati, where he had called home and become part of the community for several years. After a short period of time Dan purchased the company and created what is today, Nelson Comfort. Today he operates a company based on integrity, honesty, and stellar customer service. If you have any questions feel free to tweet (at sign) NelsonComfort and we will get right back with you!