Houston has some dreadfully hot days, and our summers tend to last longer than other parts of the US. The downside to that, the more you use your air conditioner means higher energy bills. If you’re like most Houston residents and you have central air, you probably already know that the air conditioner is one of the most energy-hungry appliances in your home, and accounts for about 25% of all home energy consumption.
So, what about ceiling fans? Do they really help cool the home
or low air conditioning cost, or do new ultra-efficient HVAC systems make such
fans unnecessary?
Compare to Air Conditioners, ceilings fans are downright cheap. The average cost of running a ceiling fan is a fraction of the cost to run your air conditioner.
Finding the Right Ceiling fan for your home.
When choosing a ceiling fan, size should be your first
consideration. Experts from the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency)
recommends the following sizes:
For a room of up to 25 square feet, a 29- to 36-inch diameter fan is enough.
A 76 to 144 sq. ft. room requires a 36- to a 42-inch fan.
A 144 to 225 sq. ft. room requires a 44-inch fan.
A 225 to 400 sq. ft. room requires a 50- to 54-inch fan
A room larger than 400 square feet will be more effectively
cooled with two or more fans, especially if the room is longer than 18 feet.
The larger the fan, the more air it moves and the stronger the
breeze it creates. Smaller fans cool well but usually within a 5-foot area.
Larger models can cool around a 10-foot area.
Bigger isn’t always better, though. In offices and other rooms with papers, those may be blown all over if you opt for a larger fan, so opt for a fan at the smaller end of the recommended size range. For example, to cool a 100 sq. ft. room with a minimal breeze, choose a 36-inch fan.
If you prefer a quiet home, look for a fan with a low sone
rating. One sone is approximately the amount of noise made by a quiet
refrigerator.
When you’ve decided on the size and style you want, start
shopping around for Energy Star-qualified fans. These use an average of 20%
less energy than standard fans.
Next thing to know;
Where to Pace your Fan
Rooms with ceilings 8 Feet or Higher should be fitted with
ceiling fans. Ideally, the blades should be 7 to 9 feet above the floor and 10
to 12 inches below the ceiling. This allows for better airflow and for safety
reasons, make sure the blades are at least 18 inches from the walls.
Most ceiling fans weigh between 25-50 pounds, so correctly
mounting one is super important to prevent the fan from wobbling or coming down.
Your fan should always be installed in the center of the room and anchored to a
ceiling joist. If there’s no joist where you want the fan, use a mounting
bracket specifically designed for ceiling fans.
If you have a two-story home, consider installing a fan at the
top of your stairwell. A fan here helps pull rising hot air down from the upper
level to the lower level where your air conditioner can cool it.
Using your fan
correctly to save the most
You may have heard that reversing a ceiling fan can help keep you warmer during the winter (and also cooler during the summer) while saving energy and reducing your utility costs. It’s a simple fix that sounds almost too good to be trusted, am I right?
Well, most fans do
have a switch on the housing that lets you change the direction the blades
turn. To help cool your home in summer, set the blades to turn
counterclockwise. This is the default setting for most ceiling fans. The
clockwise direction is meant to help evenly distribute warm air from your
furnace in winter.
Why should the direction of my ceiling fan matter?
The blades of a ceiling fan are angled slightly. During the
summer, when your fan is spinning counterclockwise, those angled blades help
move air down. You know it’s working because you can feel a cool breeze when
standing directly underneath the fan. This is called the wind chill effect and
it makes you feel cooler. Things change a bit during winter once your heating
system kicks on.
Warm air always rises (which is why attics and upper levels of
homes are so much warmer than lower levels), so the warm air generated by your
furnace naturally rises-up to the ceiling while cooler air sinks toward the
floor. When you switch the direction that your ceiling fan’s blades turn (so
that they’re spinning clockwise), that cold air is drawn upward. This updraft
forces the warmer air back down toward you and your family.
Your ceiling fans should go counterclockwise during warming
months to create cool downward airflow. However, it should go at a low speed in
a clockwise motion during the cooler months so it can help evenly distribute
warm air.