You can save energy and money this summer in your Yuma-area home while also helping to improve the efficiency of your A/C system with one simple trick – reversing your ceiling fan direction. This is essential if you’re one of those clever homeowners who knows he can also benefit from adjusting the ceiling fan blade rotation to clockwise during our short heating season. At that setting, the fan blades push the air upwards, redistributing warm air that collects near the ceiling, so it flows down into the rooms where people can feel the warmth.
Why Ceiling Fans?
If used properly, ceiling fans can play an important role in reducing energy use in your home. By utilizing ceiling fans throughout the year, when set to the proper direction for the season, your HVAC system will not have to work as hard to keep your home comfortable. This will reduce energy costs and extend the life of your HVAC system.
Which Direction for Which Season?
Most ceiling fans come standard with a tiny switch that allows you to reverse the direction that the fan spins. You will want the fan to spin clockwise during the heating months, and counter-clockwise during our long cooling season. Counter-clockwise is the default setting, and most people don’t even realize their fan has a switch that can reverse our ceiling fan blade rotation.
Why Does Direction Matter?
As stated before, when your ceiling fan blades spin in a clockwise direction, it helps with home heating, and your thermostat won’t kick on the heating system as soon as it might otherwise.
When your ceiling fan blades spin counter-clockwise direction, that blows air directly downward, so room occupants get the cooling, wind-chill effect. It also helps blend the cooler, conditioned air with the warmer air in the room. Therefore, you can turn the thermostat up a few degrees without losing any comfort.
For more information on improving your home’s energy efficiency this summer, contact our professionals at Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company. We have been serving the Yuma area since 1952.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ceilings fans and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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