How Do Ceiling Fans Work? Pros, Cons, and Cooling Hacks
Put ceiling fans to work for you
Highlights
Ceiling fans promote air circulation and cool your skin rather than the room.
Use ceiling fans alongside your HVAC to reduce seasonal energy bills.
Leaving the fan running when no one is in the room wastes energy.
With the pull of a cord, ceiling fans provide instant relief on a sweltering day. But thanks to their energy-saving potential, it’s not just the summer months where you can reap their benefits.
If you’re a ceiling fan newbie or can’t decide if they’re worth the money, read on to learn how ceiling fans work and more about their pros and cons.
How Do Ceiling Fans Work?
From pets to people, we can all benefit from the cooling power of ceiling fans—but how exactly do they work?
Unlike air conditioning, they don’t cool the room by gradually decreasing the temperature. Instead, their counterclockwise blades promote air circulation. The wind-chill effect this creates directly cools your skin, offering instant relief from the heat.
If you want to get technical about it, the rotating blades help your sweat evaporate faster, reducing your body temperature.
However, summer isn’t the only season where you can benefit from a ceiling fan. Put your fan on the lowest setting and rotate the blades clockwise to move the heat that gets stuck at the top of your room down. This can make the room feel warmer, so you can lower your thermostat and save money on heating bills.
Ceiling Fan Pros
Over 70% of U.S. households use at least one ceiling fan, according to the Appliance Standards Awareness Project—and it’s easy to see why.
Not only do they help cool you down in the summer, but they also can heat up rooms in the winter. With sleek models available, you can match your fan to your home’s style too. Check out more ceiling fan pros below.
Quick Comfort
There’s nothing worse than forgetting to set the timer on your AC and returning to a stifling home. It can take a few hours to feel noticeably cooler. But thanks to the way ceiling fans work, you get relief from the blade’s downdraft and a reduction in body temperature as soon as you pull the cord.
Energy-Efficient and Economical
Ceiling fans help save energy when running alongside your HVAC system. Because your HVAC doesn’t have to work so hard, it can reduce your electricity bills in the winter and summer.
According to the U.S. Energy Department, when using a ceiling fan, you can raise your thermostat by around 4 degrees Fahrenheit with no reduction in comfort. In winter, ceiling fans push hot air downwards, meaning you can drop your thermostat setting and still stay cozy.
Considering it costs an average of $0.06 to $0.88per hour to run an AC unit and less than a penny per hour for ceiling fans, it makes smart financial sense.
No Pollutants
It’s not just their energy efficiency that makes ceiling fans a greener option. They don’t emit harmful pollutants that, according to the California Air Resources Board, refrigerants in HVAC units can.
Easy to Install
Compared to a complex HVAC system, installing ceiling fans is quick, easy, and inexpensive. It’s the perfect job for handy homeowners, but you can call in a ceiling fan company near you if you need help with installation. The average cost to install ceiling fans is $250.
Helps Prevent Mold Growth
Mold growing in damp, humid spaces is more than just an eye sore; it can also be a health hazard. Mold spores produce allergens and irritants that, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, can aggravate the eyes, skin, nose, throat, and lungs.
By circulating air in a room, ceiling fans help prevent mold growth. However, don’t use fans when a nasty mold buildup is already present, as you’ll risk spreading the spores through the air.
Ceiling Fan Cons
If you’ve ever been kept awake at night by a noisy ceiling fan, then you already know they don’t come without a few potential downsides. From cleaning to clanking, here’s a look at ceiling fan cons.
Noise
No ceiling fan is totally silent, but some models are noisier than others. Direct current (DC) fans are usually quieter (and more energy efficient) than alternating current (AC) fans.
And it pays to service your fans regularly and upgrade them as they age. The noise that loose screws, shifting blades, and cranky motors create could wreak havoc on your relaxing downtime. Call a local ceiling fan repair company to fix any issues with existing fans.
Cleaning
Ceiling fans aren’t the easiest to clean. You need long wands and ladders to reach the blades, motor, and any light fittings. Neglecting to clean your ceiling fans may leave you swallowing swirls of dust every time you switch them on. The average cost to repair a ceiling fan is $150, and regular cleaning can help minimize hefty bills.
Cools the Person, Not the Room
Ceiling fans work by cooling people down rather than the room itself. So, if you’ve got absent-minded kids constantly leaving ceiling fans on when there’s no one around, it wastes energy with no cooling benefit.
Best Rooms for Ceiling Fans
Now that you know how ceiling fans work and their pros and cons, consider where you’d place them in your home. While any room can benefit from a ceiling fan, if you’re on a budget, focus on spaces where you spend the most time or ones that trap heat.
Here are some of the best rooms for ceiling fans:
Kitchen: Keep cool while whipping up your favorite meal by adding a ceiling fan to your kitchen.
Living room: Comfortably enjoy family game nights by strategically placing a fan in the living room.
Bedroom: Hot, sticky weather isn’t conducive to a sound night’s sleep. Getting a quiet ceiling fan can help send you comfortably into the land of nod.
Porches or patios: If you love al fresco dining, adding a ceiling fan outdoors makes sense, and circulating the air helps keep bugs at bay.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Ceiling Fan
With benefits year-round, ceiling fans are a great investment for your home. Take a look at the tips below to get the most out of your fans and ensure they continue to work optimally for years to come.
Adjust your thermostat: Using your ceiling fan without adjusting the thermostat (up in the summer and down in the winter) wastes energy.
Buy Energy Star Certified fans: These ceiling fan types are up to 60% more efficient than conventional models.
Make the switch in winter: Change the direction of ceiling fan blades if you’re using them during cold months.
Blade size: Long blades running slowly move air better than those with shorter blades, even when they’re running at higher speeds. Go for ceiling fan size with blades of 55 inches or more for a large room. Get multiple fans for rooms over 500 square feet.
Adjust your fan based on the room: In the dining room, set it to turn clockwise on low or medium to prevent your food from cooling too fast. On the patio, set your fan to turn counterclockwise on high speed to send mosquitoes packing.