You know how hot it can get here in Southwest Florida. But did you also know that ceiling fans can work with your energy-efficient air conditioner to keep cooling costs low, while keeping your home comfortable all summer long? That’s right, a simple ceiling fan can go a long way toward reducing energy costs.

Here’s what you need to know about ceiling fans and how they can help keep your home more comfortable:

• Circulating fans create a wind-chill effect, which makes the air feel cooler and allows you to turn the thermostat up a few degrees without sacrificing home comfort.
• When temperatures are more mild, you can often use your ceiling fans to cool the rooms in your home without even turning on the air conditioner.
• If you are installing new fans, make sure the blades are 10 to 12 inches below the ceiling to get the best circulation.
• For rooms with ceilings lower than 8 feet, consider other types of air-circulating devices, such as window fans and portable rotating fans.
• Bigger fans can move more air than smaller fans. However, rooms larger than 18 feet long should have multiple fans. Larger fan blades can also move more air without increasing fan speed.
• If noise is a concern for you, make sure you have the opportunity to see and hear ceiling fans in operation before you decide which one to buy. Quieter, more efficient fans may be more expensive, but they are also more likely to last longer and require less maintenance and repair.

The professionals at Conditioned Air are here to help you find the best heating and cooling solutions for your home. Whether you need routine maintenance, equipment repair or expert advice, contact us anytime.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ceiling fans and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.

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You know when your A/C is working too hard to keep you cool—your energy bills during these sweltering Florida summers tell the story.  The fact is, there are ways to minimize the energy it takes to stay cool this summer.  One way to do this is to use circulating fans in conjunction with your air conditioning.

Circulating fans are essentially low-tech mechanical ventilation devices.  They include ceiling fans, table fans, floor fans, and fans mounted to poles or walls. These fans create a wind chill effect that will make you more comfortable in your home, even if it’s also cooled by natural ventilation or air conditioning. Ceiling fans are considered the most effective of these types of fans, since they circulate the air to create a draft throughout the room.

If you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.  Install a fan in each room that needs to be cooled during hot weather.  Turn off ceiling fans when you leave a room.  Why?  Because the wind chill effect created by these fans cool people, not rooms.  Wind chill, by definition, is a cooling effect on the surface of the skin.

Ceiling fans are only appropriate in rooms with ceilings at least eight feet high.  Fans work best when the blades are 7–9 feet above the floor and 10–12 inches below the ceiling.  For best cooling effect, fans should be installed so their blades are no closer than 8 inches from the ceiling and 18 inches from the walls.

As common sense dictates, larger ceiling fans can move more air than smaller fans.  A 36- or 44-inch diameter fan will cool rooms up to 225 square feet, while fans that are 52 inches or more should be used in larger rooms.  Multiple fans work best in rooms longer than 18 feet.  Small- and medium-sized fans will provide efficient cooling in a 4- to 6-foot diameter area, while larger fans are effective up to 10 feet.

A more expensive fan that operates quietly and smoothly will probably offer more trouble-free service than cheaper units.  Check the noise ratings, and, if possible, listen to your fan in operation before you buy it.

When used in conjunction with your A/C, circulating fans can actually make the room feel cooler by making you feel cooler.  Another benefit of fans is the fact that they allow you to set your thermostat higher while running your A/C and still feel comfortable.  This saves you money on your energy bill and keeps your A/C components from working too hard and wearing out early.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about circulating fans, air conditioning and other HVAC topics, click here to download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Conditioned Air services Southwest Florida including cities Marco Island, Ft. Myers or anywhere in between.  To get started, check out our website or see our special offers.