The Efficiency Of Ceiling Fans

Growing up in the South I probably took ceiling fans for granted.  Through the long hot summer's, ceiling fans helped keep the house cool and well ventilated even when the temperature reached 100° or higher outside.  But you don't have to live in a super hot southern climate to take advantage of the increased circulation and efficiency that ceiling fans offer.

Even in more temperate climates, ceiling fans are wonderful to use for general home ventilation.  When the fan is turned on, the fan blades circulate the air in the rooms from the top down.  Usually this means that they push cooler air down from the ceilings providing a steady breeze throughout the room. As well as lowering the temperature in the room, this also helps the room feel less "stuffy."  Even with no other type of cooling system in your home, ceiling fans do an admirable job of making every room in your house more "livable" and keeping the temperature moderate.

But ceiling fans are not only great in hot weather; they are also very effective in cold weather.  When the heat is on in your home during the winter months, the warm air tends to rise, leaving floors cold.  Using a ceiling fan in addition to your heater will push the warm air down from the ceiling and into more areas of the room, including warming the floors.  This is a very energy-efficient way of heating your home throughout the long winter months.

In fact, using ceiling fans can reduce both cooling and heating costs for most homes, making them ideal for year-round use in any room of your home.  In the South, for example, ceiling fans have long been used to efficiently reduce both heating and cooling costs in homes, as well as keeping the room's "fresh" with a steady breeze of ventilated air.

But besides the cost benefits and efficiency of using ceiling fans year-round in your home, they can also add a distinctive style to your rooms.  And with so many different types to choose from, it is quite easy these days to find a ceiling fan set up that is perfect for each specific room of your home. 

For example, children's rooms can use smaller, wood-blade fans or even bright, colored fan blades with fun designs; but you might prefer a larger, steel-blade fan on the back patio or in the sun-room. There are also many varieties of fans with attached lights, and these can be quite handy in certain rooms, though in more formal rooms you might prefer a more distinctive, fan-only design.  There are countless varieties to choose from, so you are sure to find a ceiling fan designed to fit any room and any décor in your home.

To reduce both heating and cooling costs, while increasing ventilation and "livability" in your home, you really cannot go wrong using ceiling fans.  Installation is normally quite simple, requiring only the most basic of tools, and ceiling fans tend to be very durable, often providing 10 or 15 years of problem free service.