It may seem counter-intuitive, but running your ceiling fans and air conditioner at the same time can actually save you on electricity.
Back before air conditioning was invented, ceiling and portable fans were basically the only way people had to keep cool inside their homes. The fans worked by producing a wind-chill effect: the air temperature did not actually change, but it felt cooler in the room, because having more air move over a body allows the body to shed more heat. When air conditioning came along, ceiling fans didn't suddenly become obsolete; they actually became even more valuable and effective. Because air conditioning gives ceiling fans cooler air to work with, the wind chill effect is magnified, and has an even bigger impact on comfort. According to Energy Savers, running a ceiling fan in an air-conditioned house makes the room feel about 4 degrees cooler than it actually is.
The reason this saves you energy is because a ceiling fan uses far less electricity to produce that cooling effect than it would take your air conditioner to cool all the air in your house by an additional 4 degrees. By turning on a ceiling fan, you can raise the setting on your thermostat without noticing any difference in comfort. Plus, you need only run the ceiling fan in the room that you are currently in; fans provide instant and targeted comfort, unlike air conditioners that need to be left on in order to have the room cool by the time you get there.
In the winter, you can still utilize ceiling fans by reversing their direction, so that they blow air upwards instead of down. Warm air from your furnace rises, collecting near the ceiling where it cannot be felt. Running your ceiling fan in reverse, at a slow speed, forces the warm air back down the walls to your level, warming the room without creating the wind chill effect.
To learn more, contact us at Russell's Heating & Cooling. With over 30 years' experience serving the Hampton Roads area, we know how to help make your home more comfortable and more energy efficient.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Russell’s Heating & Cooling services the Chesapeake, Virginia and the surrounding areas. To get started, check out our website.