How to Get the Most Benefit from your Fan

A ceiling fan can help you stay more comfortable and even save money on your energy bills. To get the most benefit from your fan, you have to make sure it’s turning in the right direction for the season.

Direction Has A Lot To Do With It

As you’ve probably noticed, the blades of a ceiling fan are angled. Because of this angle, the ceiling fan can either pull air up or push it down. This all depends on what direction the fan is turning.

In the summer, the ceiling fan should be set to turn counter-clockwise (as you look up at the fan). That way, the fan will push air down, creating a breeze over the people in the room. In fact, you can tell if your fan is turning the right direction for the summer by standing directly underneath it. If you feel a breeze blowing down over you, then it’s correct! This breeze creates a “wind-chill” type of effect on the people in the room. This is when it makes the air temperature feel up to eight degrees cooler than it actually is, according to DelMar Fans.

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On the other hand, during the colder months your fan should be set to turn clockwise (as you look up at the fan) at the slowest speed. Warm air collects up at the ceiling, where it doesn’t do anybody any good. The clockwise-turning fan will create an updraft that pushes the warm air out to the walls and then down into the room, without creating a chilly breeze.

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Most ceiling fans have either a switch or a pull cord (or a button on the remote control) that switches the direction from clockwise to counter-clockwise and back again. When you switch from heating to air conditioning in the spring, don’t forget to switch your fan to its summer setting. Then when autumn comes and you turn on the heat, switch your fan to its winter setting, too. That way your fan can help you stay comfortable and save you money all year long.

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