Ceiling Fans: Cost savings or not?
September 9, 2009 
4 Comments
After several years of debating this issue with my wife, I finally searched the web for answers. Not that I need to prove my side, because once again, I think I am right, but to prove my point, I needed some supporting facts.
So, here goes: Are ceiling fans worth buying and running and do they save you money? Well the answer is Yes, and No. Simple huh? Once again there is always the fine print that you are supposed to read, that small bit of information they never tell you. So here it is;
Yes, ceiling fans do work and save you money if…. and that’s a big IF, you turn up your thermostat in the summertime, and down in the winter time. It works because we feel cooler, in the summertime, when we feel a breeze. Therefore if you turn your thermostat up about 5 degrees you’ll notice a difference in your electric bill. (5 degrees, appears to be what is considered a breeze). However, if you are not in the room when your fan is running, it doesn’t do you any good. You see, inanimate objects don’t have feelings, your sofa, chair, carpet, not even your rock collection, notices a temperature difference if the fan is running. So get in the habit of turning off your fan when you leave the room. Just like you are supposed to do with lights, Sharen. I know your parents taught you that, (ha, ha) mine did.
Do Ceiling Fans Cut Costs?
image by tamaradulva
On the other hand, in the winter time, you are to reverse your fans rotation, so that it pulls down the warm air, everyone knows that warm/hot air rises. Its also important that you slow down your fans rotation, other wise you’re going to feel 5 degrees cooler in the winter time, this is because of the breeze that will be created if the blades are spinning too fast. Breezes don’t typically give you that warm cozy feeling. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to use a throw blanket in the winter anyway to save $, but you might be able to save just a little bit more. It can’t hurt.
To finish this article, I would just like to say (Sharen) for once I’M RIGHT! Just like I knew I was. (okay, I was feeling pretty good about it) Try out my suggestions and let me know if it helps on the electric bill, keeping you cooler, warmer, or whatever it is you are trying to achieve with the ceiling fans. Mostly I just want Sharen to turn the ceiling fan off when she leaves the room, and after reading this she has agreed to try and do that. Until next time….
I would just like to add that you can actually save up to 40% of your air conditioning bill in the summer and about 10% of your heating bill in the winter. Pretty substantial. Also with Hunter ceiling fans you actually use less energy than it takes to light a 100 watt incandescent light bulb. You can increase the efficiency of your ceiling fan by mounting it 7 to 8 feet from the floor and by using the proper blade size. For some really informative videos explaining this and more just take a look at http://www.hunterceilingfanstore.com/ceiling-fan-videos.html Hope this helps.
Great site!!! Check it out-Google CEO Schmidt says punching down into the earth to capture natural and clean geothermal energy could help move the United States away from it’s dependence on petroleum-Dec.16,2008-Betty http://www.geothermalquestions.net
Hi Betty, thanks for the link, looks like you’ve got a great site there.
We would like to write an article on Geo Thermal technology, would you be willing to participate?
Thanks,
The Our Everyday Earth bloggers!
I bow down humbly in the presence of such greteanss.