Blogs
Use Ceiling Fans to Use Air Conditioners Less
5/20/2016
At this point, it’s fairly common knowledge that a fan (ceiling, floor, or otherwise) is an efficient alternative to constantly running the air conditioner. In fact, placing fans in hotter rooms or more heavily trafficked areas will allow you to comfortably raise your thermostat a couple of degrees higher. A shift of even two or three degrees is enough to have a significant impact on your monthly cooling bill this summer.
Two Major Benefits of Ceiling Fans
- Evaporative cooling is the principle way that fans cool things. Circulated air does not, by itself, cool down a room. Sitting under a fan won’t actually make the room cooler, but it will feel cooler than it actually is. This is because everything on Earth is coated in a very thin film of water. That water is in a constant state of evaporation, pulling heat from the surrounding surface and using that energy to evaporate into the air.So, as the water evaporates, it leaves the surface (your skin) slightly cooler than a moment before. But water needs to be able to move into the air, and air that has already been saturated with water is more difficult to be absorbed by – this is why everything feels hotter when it’s humid outside. Circulating the air through a room helps to refresh the room with drier air, making it easier to absorb evaporating water. So while it won’t make sense to run a fan in a room with no one present, keeping a fan on to stay cool when you’re there is completely effective.
- Circulation has another added benefit in that it helps to regulate the overall temperature of the home. In fact, whole-house fans work on this principle of air circulation. Pulling in cooler, and sometimes drier, outdoor air will help to cool off occupants inside. But, it will also regulate temperature inside the home by preventing the formation of hot and cold pockets throughout the home. Circulating air prevents heat and cold from pooling along the ceiling or the floor.
The Problem with Fans
There are a couple of problems with ceiling fans:
- Dust and humidity control. Fans cannot be filtered (for the most part) and unlike your central cooling system, there isn’t a main filter that all air is circulated through. If you open the windows to let in fresh air from outside, dust, pollen, and other contaminants are going to freely float everywhere, eventually landing on fan blades and casings. Do not forget to dust your ceiling fans. Of course, a regular dusting can stir up enough dust to simply make the problem worse. The best way to clean the blades on a ceiling fan is to use a pillowcase. Simply slide the pillowcase over the fan blade and then slowly wipe away the dust as you pull the pillowcase off. This makes the case both the duster and the storage bin to keep you from stirring up dust.
- The second problem is the humidity. Fans have no way of dealing with high humidity in a room. If you aren’t using your air conditioner, then humidity can build up in a room because there’s nothing to dry out the air. It is probably worth your time to consider purchasing a dehumidifier to pair with your ceiling fan, especially if there’s rain in the forecast.
Thank you for making Service Legends the #1 provider of residential heating and air conditioning in the Des Moines area. A live and friendly customer care representative is ready to take your call 24/7 at 515-COMFORT (515.266.3678).
515-657-6634Request Appointment Online
Return- October 2024
- June 2024
- January 2024
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- May 2021
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- September 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- July 2018
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- May 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013