If you’re a fan of saving money, keeping your furnace running could be a smart move
Running your furnace fan during summer lowers electric costs
Continuously running your fan won’t damage your HVAC unit
Using your fan improves air quality and reduces allergens
Whenever you’re faced with winter’s harshness, you blast the heat in your home to make yourself cozy. Generally, as the weather changes, heat isn’t necessarily required, which means you won’t be using the furnace anymore.
However, depending on your thermostat’s model, you may have the option of turning the furnace fan on or off. It may sound strange, but you can actually run your furnace fan throughout the summer and not just when it’s cold outside. Let’s talk about why.
To run, or not to run—that is the question. The answer, however, really depends on your individual situation and furnace fan. In some cases, like if you have an old model or if high temperatures make conditions dangerous, running your fan continuously is not a good idea. But in most other cases, continuous use of the furnace fan actually has a lot of benefits that will sway many homeowners to the affirmative.
For homeowners, the word “benefits” is a tantalizing promise. You’re always looking for ways to make your space more comfortable and efficient.
So if you’re planning on running your furnace fan continuously, it comes with the following benefits:
We know it doesn’t seem like it makes sense to leave your furnace fan on all the time since it uses up electricity—but a slight change can help lower your electric bill.
Here’s a little secret—you actually use more power when your air conditioner is set to “auto” because of the constant starting and stopping.
This happens because your AC is trying to keep the room cool. But using it with your fan will help circulate the air in your home, saving you from relying on your unit and lowering your overall costs.
We’ve all had our battles with dust at some point. No matter how much cleaning gets done, it always seems to pop back up! Unfortunately for others, it can be a hassle, especially when allergy season rolls around.
But your furnace fan may be able to help you with those allergens. Dust and other contaminants can reside in the air, making breathing harder. To eliminate these issues, your furnace fan filters the air in your home, meaning it will filter out any irritants as well.
Have you ever walked into your home one day and caught a whiff of an unpleasant smell? It could be the result of mold, mildew, or indoor smoking. When these pollutants get trapped inside for extended periods without proper filtration, you’ll smell a musty odor whenever you enter a room.
However, furnace fans that run continuously can reduce these odors since air is constantly filtered.
There’s nothing worse than leaving one area of your home and walking into another that makes you uncomfortable because of the humidity. It can be a double whammy if you’ve come from outside during a hot day.
But luckily, furnace fans can limit humidity in your home. As the air runs through your air conditioner’s evaporator, it pulls the moisture out.
There are plenty of reasons why you should keep your furnace fan on throughout the summer. By doing so, you’ll create a cleaner environment for your household.
Your furnace fan, also known as a “blower,” is an integral part of your HVAC system, which pushes cold and hot air through your vents. Your system likely has two settings, “auto” and “on,” which dictate how often your system is running.
Most homes have their furnaces in the attic, which makes that area the hottest in your home. So warmer air may come out of your vents.
However, it would help if you switched your furnace fan to the “on” setting throughout the summer for these reasons:
Prevents hot spots in your home
Helps your HVAC system maintain an efficient temperature
You may be thinking that continuously running your furnace fan will ruin it and make your electric bills skyrocket. After all, one of the most common furnace problems people deal with is having a blower fan that won’t turn off. But it won’t be an issue if you have a newer system. You can always check with your local furnace installer if you’re unsure of the age of your model.
There will always be a debate about auto versus on for thermostat usage.
While it’s possible to run your furnace fan continuously, it still has some slight drawbacks such as:
Running older units can cause your electric bills to rise
Ducts and walls can fill with hot air, causing you to use your AC more frequently
Your furnace filter may clog more quickly
You should also be cautious of running your furnace fan continuously if you have ductwork in your attic and it’s a hot summer day. Since heat rises, the temperatures up there could reach around 140 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, the fan could pull heat from the attic into your home.
There's nothing to worry about if you’re running your furnace fan continuously. Doing so will not shorten your HVAC system’s lifespan. However, if it wasn’t installed properly, this could cause problems in the future.
If you’re unsure about your system’s efficiency, it may help to find local HVAC contractors. They can evaluate your system and tell you if maintenance or replacement is necessary.
Running your furnace fan can cool your house since it regulates the temperature by pushing hot and cold air through the vents. For example, let’s say your home faces east and gets hit with the morning sun. The rooms that it hits will be warmer than the others.
But as the day goes on and the sun shifts, the temperature in other rooms may start to change. By running your furnace fan continuously, you’ll be able to prevent hot and cold spots from popping up all over your house.
Also, it doesn’t matter if you have a one- or multi-story home. Since heat rises, individuals with larger homes will experience a warmer upstairs and cooler downstairs. But temperature regulation will help enhance your home’s comfort level. If you own a one-story house, you’ll still benefit from keeping your furnace fan on continuously since it will even out the temperature.
