With the start of autumn comes a chill in the air, plus a simple way to drop your home’s energy bill. For homeowners with ceiling fans, it’s as simple as moving a button.
In this vintage video from The Weather Channel, you’ll learn how the blades of ceiling fan are meant to work, and how they amplify a home’s heating and cooling systems. You’ll also learn the optimal settings for blade rotation, and how to reverse your room’s air flow to take advantage.
A quick “cheat sheet”:
- When a home’s heating system is on, rotate fan blades clockwise
- When a home’s cooling system is on, rotate fan blades counter-clockwise
Running a ceiling fan consumes a nominal amount of energy as compared to adjusting your home’s overall temperature. On a warm day, for example, running a ceiling fan creates a “windchill effect”, reducing a room’s effective temperature by 4 degrees — all with the equivalent power of a 100-watt light bulb.
On a cold day, the fan pushes hot air back from the ceiling where it tends to collect.
If your home is without ceiling fans, installing them is inexpensive and easy. There’s videos online to walk you through the steps, or you can call a qualified electrician. Need an electricians name? Call or email me — I’m happy to offer a referral in Chicago.
