In virtually every household in this country, people work a delicate balance between keeping the rooms comfortable all year round and trying not to drain the bank account on the utility bills. Unfortunately, many people crank up the air conditioning in the summer and absorb a monster electric bill, or crank up the heat in the winter and suffer a huge heating bill. At Maertin Heating & Cooling, we know it doesn’t have to be that way – and that the solution for most households can be found in ceiling fans.
While a ceiling fan’s primary purpose is to keep us cool, we’ll let you in on a secret: a ceiling fan doesn’t actually lower the air temperature. Instead, we feel cooler because the fan moves the air around our bodies, enabling a process called evaporative cooling. Think of a ceiling fan like you do the “wind chill factor.” The movement of air feels like a breeze and cools your skin.
In the winter, when warm air rises to your ceiling, a ceiling fan can push the warm air around the room, so you’re not just heating the ceilings.
Ceiling fans aren’t perfect. They can be noisy, and if you’re over 6’4”, you have to watch your head in rooms with low ceilings. However, there are a great deal of advantages to using ceiling fans.
Things to consider when buying a ceiling fan
Ceiling fans can cost anywhere from under $100 to over $1,000 depending on brand, size and features. Ceiling fans can be operated by switches, remote controls, pull chains, and now, even your smart phone.
The bigger the room, the longer the blades you need to move air around the room. Residential fans usually have 4 or 5 blades. The more blades, the more air it moves and the more noise it makes.
The lowest part of a fan should be at least 7 feet from the floor; otherwise you run the risk of getting hit by the blades when you raise your arms. When your room has an 8-foot ceiling, install a fan that hugs the ceiling to avoid accidents.
If the room already has a ceiling light fixture, installing a fan can be easily done by an electrician or confident and careful DYI homeowner.
Yes, run your fan all year long!
During cool summer evenings, open your windows and your ceiling fan will help pull cool air from outside into your rooms. Fans are much more cost effective than air conditioning, but run your fans only when there are people in the room. Running a ceiling fan in an unoccupied room is a waste of energy and money because no one is there to feel the air movement. During the summer, rotate your ceiling fan counterclockwise, making the airflow push downwards, creating a cool breeze.
Using a ceiling fan in the winter may seem counterintuitive, but it could save you as much as 15% on your heating bills. In winter, spin the blades clockwise for a gentle updraft to recirculate heat, which naturally rises, back down into the room.
Ceiling fans need almost no special care
Ceiling fans are almost maintenance free. Every few months, check the tops of the blades and wipe off dust with a damp cloth.
For added comfort, setting your furnace fan to “on” will even out temperatures and humidity throughout your home. This strategy will add about $40-$80 a year to your electric bill unless your furnace has a high efficiency blower motor. Ask us about adding this feature to your existing furnace. If you’re considering a new furnace, be sure to include a high efficiency blower motor.
Do you have questions about improving the comfort and efficiency of your home or business? Just give us a call at 708-479-9350. We are always happy to help!