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Try These Five Tips for Using Ceiling Fans Along with Your AC 

If your goal is to stay cool without increasing your energy bills, you’ll probably depend on your ceiling fan a lot this summer. A common strategy is to operate a fan without AC until it gets very hot, then switch the fan off and try the air conditioner in its place. This is a mistake! Operating the ceiling fan and air conditioner at the same time is the best way to increase comfort and energy savings. 

It may seem excessive to use two cooling methods at once, but fans make your air conditioner more efficient. Use these five tips to help you get more from your cooling system this summer. 

Install a Ceiling Fan 

First off—if you don’t already have ceiling fans throughout your home, think about installing a few. You should have the opportunity to swap out any light fixture in the center of the room for a smooth, reliable and fashionable ceiling fan. 

Bear in mind that ceiling fans function best when the blades rest seven to nine feet above the floor, 10 to 12 inches from the ceiling, and at least 18 inches from the walls. This means your ceilings have to be at the least eight-feet high, and rooms with vaulted ceilings will not benefit the same amount. 

As you may imagine, longer fans can push more air than smaller ones. Choose a 36- to 44-inch diameter fan for rooms approximately 225 square feet and 52-inch fans for deeper rooms. You can also put in multiple fans in a line to cool rooms longer than 18 feet. 

Check the Fan’s Direction 

Ceiling fans can operate in both directions. Verify yours is set to spin counterclockwise during summer. This forces air down to make the breeze appear more obvious. 

If you’re not sure whether the fan is turning the right way, flip it on and stay right beneath it. If the breeze feels inadequate for how fast the blades are turning, you potentially need to reverse the direction. 

Some fans have a remote control, in particular if they’re put in on a vaulted ceiling. Check for a button on the remote to switch the direction. If your fan doesn’t use a remote, feel around the motor housing for a reversing switch. 

Ceiling fans can spin either way because pushing the air upward is useful for cutting down heating bills in the winter. So when the seasons change, set your fan to rotate clockwise and run it on low to distribute warm air toward the ceiling back toward the living room without generating a breeze. This technique is very helpful in stairwells and rooms with vaulted ceilings. 

Adjust the Thermostat 

You should turn up the thermostat to enjoy energy savings from using a ceiling fan in the summer. Don’t worry about feeling uncomfortable—the “wind chill” effect produced by turning on a ceiling fan makes the room seem about 4 degrees cooler. This approach, which can make winter weather miserable, is the trick to home comfort and energy savings for the summer. 

If you generally keep your house at 75 degrees, try adjusting the thermostat to 77 or 78 degrees to cover for the wind chill effect created by running a ceiling fan. Then, modify your outfit to increase your comfort level even more. Dressing for the season enables you to maximize comfort while lowering cooling costs

Shut Off the Fans in Empty Areas 

It’s a widespread assumption that ceiling fans reduce the temperature in a room. Yes, they make you feel cooler, but all they do is push air around. As a result, there’s not a good reason to keep a ceiling fan running in an empty room. Fans may cost pennies on the dollar to use versus AC systems, but every little bit helps, so switch off the fan if you’re the last person to leave the room. 

Watch Your Energy Savings Grow 

If you stick to the tips featured above, you could notice a drop in your air conditioning costs all summer long. After all, you can save as much as 3 percent on your cooling costs for each degree you adjust the thermostat. And by appreciating the wind chill effect created by the ceiling fan, you can receive savings without giving up comfort. 

Keep Cool with Help from Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing 

Simply, you shouldn’t disregard the impact ceiling fans can have on your home comfort this summer! If you need air conditioning services at any point, choose Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to address your problem quickly. Our technicians can help your air conditioner work as effectively as possible, ensuring it works together with your ceiling fans to keep your home and family comfortable for less. Call us today to request an appointment with the HVAC pros at Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing. 

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