Almost everyone has heard that ceiling fans will save money on cooling bills, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to do things. This article will explain why ceiling fans save money and teach you how to run your ceiling fan so that you will actually see those savings.

How Do Ceiling Fans Save People Money?

Ceiling fans save people money by reducing the amount of energy that it takes to cool a house. While ceiling fans may not actually cool the air, they do cool people off through a kind of “wind chill effect”. Ceiling fans simply circulate air around whatever room they are being used in, and that circulating air evaporates our sweat faster than still air. When sweat evaporates, it cools us off faster than a slightly lower room temperature.

Tip #1

When running your ceiling fans and air conditioner at the same time, be sure to raise your thermostat temperature setting. If you don’t, you won’t save a dime. In fact, it will cost you more money to run both devices. Additionally, if you rarely ever use your air conditioning, then using ceiling fans won’t really save you any money, although they are an inexpensive way to keep cool.

Tip #2

Since you actually have to lower your thermostat to enjoy energy savings, make sure you purchase an energy efficient ceiling fan with a powerful high-performance motor. The more powerful your ceiling fans are, the more money you will save because you can raise your thermostat higher.

Tip #3

Turn your ceiling fans off when you are not in the room. Since the ceiling fan does not actually lower the temperature of the room, you should cut it off if you aren’t occupying the room, because you won’t be getting the cooling benefit. If you keep the fans running while you aren’t occupying the room, you are wasting energy.

Choosing the Right Ceiling Fans Will Have More Impact on Your Energy Savings

As mentioned earlier, energy efficient ceiling fans with powerful high-performance motors are the best way to go. The amount of degrees you will be able to raise your thermostat setting is directly proportional to the cubic feet of air moved per minute by your ceiling fan. So keep in mind that cheaper is not always better when it comes to choosing your ceiling fans.