Don’t Use Ceiling Fans in Winter? Here’s Why You Should

Your ceiling fans are great for cooling your home during the summer months. Did you know that you can also use ceiling fans in winter to enhance the warmth and comfort of your home?

Not only do they offer warmth, but ceiling fans used in winter can also provide energy savings. It’s a win-win combination for every West Volusia County homeowner.

How Ceiling Fans Work

Everybody knows that ceiling fans help you feel cooler. The fans generate a breeze that can facilitate the evaporation of perspiration, helping to cool down the body.

Ceiling fans are ideal for homes because they help to evenly distribute and circulate the air that’s in the room. Essentially, the moving fan blades generate a wind-chill effect, and they truly make a room feel cooler. According to experts, running a ceiling fan is so effective at dropping the room temperature that it’s possible to lower your thermostat by 4 degrees without noticing a difference in comfort.

Ceiling Fans for Heating: Do Ceiling Fans Help in the Winter?

While many people know how ceiling fans work, fewer are aware that ceiling fans in winter can be used in a similar way as they are used in summer. Using ceiling fans in winter, though, can help facilitate heating a room. In order to take advantage of them, you’ll need to first locate the switch on the fan that controls the direction of the blade.

In the summer, to get the wind-chill effect, the blades need to run in a counterclockwise fashion. This is the setting that most fans use automatically. Test your fan by turning it on and identifying the fan’s direction. If you need to, switch the fan to run in the clockwise direction to enhance heating.

How To Use a Ceiling Fan in the Winter

In the clockwise direction, the blades push air up. This is key to facilitating a more comfortable room in the heating season. When the blades push air down, they create the wind-chill effect, helping to facilitate evaporation. If you leave the setting in this mode, you will definitely feel cooler!

In the heating mode, however, the blades push air up, helping the fan to better distribute heat. Here’s how:

• As the blades move, they draw in air from around the room and push it up toward the ceiling.
• The force of the air pushes the air at the top of the room toward the walls, at the outer edges.
• Then, the air moves back down to the ground.
• Since air at the top of a room is warmer, the entire room starts to feel warmer as the air is pushed back down to the bottom of the room.
• The process repeats.
• The room gets warmer and warmer.

How Using Ceiling Fans in Winter Can Save Energy & Money

By some estimations, experts report that homeowners can save as much as 15% on heating costs when they run ceiling fans during the winter. Due to the improved distribution of heat in the room, thermostats can be turned down. When you do that, your heater runs less often, consuming less energy.

To ensure optimal savings and comfort, however, it’s important to choose an energy-efficient fan. Opt for an ENERGY STAR-rated ceiling fan, which uses better motors and innovative blade designs to lower the fans’ energy consumption by as much as 60% over standard fans.

How NOT To Use Ceiling Fans in Winter

Unlike your heater or air conditioner, you shouldn’t turn ceiling fans on and let them run continuously, even when you’re not in the room. In most cases, to benefit from ceiling fan use, you need to be in the room to take advantage of the enhanced heating. You don’t want to work your way through the home, turning on ceiling fans, and then leaving the room. The fans won’t distribute heat throughout your home.

Keep Your Home Comfortable Year-Round

Ceiling fans can improve comfort, but they work best when your heating system is operating efficiently. If your home still feels uneven, chilly, or uncomfortable during winter, professional HVAC service can help identify and correct the issue before it worsens.