Reversing your ceiling fan twice each year can make a huge impact on your home comfort levels and energy consumption. By doing so, you’ll get much more value from each of your ceiling fans while cutting down on your utility bills. When you take just a few moments to learn how and why you should be regularly reversing your fan, you can start reaping the benefits right away.
Making use of ceiling fans year-round – Most homeowners understand the value of using their ceiling fans during the warmer months, but don’t realize that winter operation is just as advantageous. When a fan’s blades rotate counterclock
wise, a downward airflow creates a windchill effect. This makes you feel cooler as the breeze helps to speed up the process of evaporation as your body perspires. When the weather cools off, you can reverse the direction of the blade’s rotation. A clockwise rotation draws air up toward the ceiling, displacing warmer air and re-distributing it back into the occupied portions of the room.
Benefits of reversing your ceiling fan – The simple process of reversing your home’s ceiling fans yields numerous benefits. Using a ceiling fan during the summer can enable homeowners to save as much as 40% on A/C costs, and winter usage can shave up to 15% off of heating expenses. Maximize savings by running fans only when a room is occupied, and adjusting your thermostat by a few degrees. In addition to reducing bills, ceiling fans put less strain on HVAC equipment, and eliminate the need for the clutter and hazards associated with portable heaters and coolers.
How to reverse your ceiling fan – Reversing your ceiling fan only takes a moment. For newer fans, you may be able to switch the blade rotation with the click of a remote control. If your fan doesn’t have a remote, you will find a toggle switch on its motor housing.
For more information about reversing your ceiling fan and other home energy-saving tips, get in touch with us at Marsh Heating & Air Conditioning. We proudly provide expert heating and cooling services to the greater Twin Cities area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota 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.
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