Your Ceiling Fan: The 3 Keys to Optimal Savings

One of the most common myths about energy conservation is that ceiling fan savings occur automatically just by turning fans on. Many homeowners install ceiling fans but then never seem to reap the benefits of their addition. The key to saving with a ceiling fan is that they need to be used appropriately. Here are three rules to live by to keep your ceiling fans working for you.

1. Turn off the fan if no one is in the room. Ceiling fans don’t actually cool the air, they just move the air so that it feels cooler for the people. If there are no people in the room, then no one is benefiting. In fact, ceiling fans run on a motor, which generates heat. So, if you’re running a motor and no one is there to feel the cool air you’re actually heating your home more than cooling it.
2. Turn off the air conditioner. Ceiling fans use less energy than an air conditioning unit. So, if the temperature is low enough (especially if you live in an area with cool nights) turn off the A/C. If everyone in your home is sleeping under a ceiling fan they’ll be fine; other areas of the house don’t need to be cooled while everyone’s sleeping anyway.
3. If you can’t turn the air conditioner off at least program your thermostat to a higher temperature. This rule is crucial for ceiling fan savings. If it is so hot that you must have the air conditioner and ceiling fans running that’s fine. But, thinking that having the ceiling fan on while the air is going full blast is saving you money is completely incorrect. You will only save money if you turn the thermostat up, reducing the amount of energy your air conditioner is using and making up the difference with ceiling fans.

As you can see, simply installing ceiling fans does not automatically generate savings. If you want to save power and money make sure you, and everyone else in your home, follow these rules. To learn about even more ways to save energy in your Florida home contact us at NisAir Air Conditioning & Heating.