Air conditioning can put a big strain on a home’s energy bills, especially when rates go up during times of peak demand. Ceiling fans are an effective way to dial back the thermostat. The breeze from a fan can let you adjust the temperature by around 4 degrees Fahrenheit without sacrificing comfort. Ceiling fans use about one-tenth of the energy needed to run an air conditioning unit, which makes them a great option for supplementing your AC use.
Ceiling fans can make our bodies feel cooler, even though they don’t actually cool the room off. The chill sensation we feel is a product of evaporative cooling: When air moves around on our bodies, it helps sweat evaporate, which is the body’s natural cooling mechanism. This is also why it feels nicer when it’s breezy outside than when the air is stagnant. (It’s also why you should turn off the fan when there’s no one in the room.)
Of course all these benefits start to get shaky if a fan’s not in good working order. Here are four tips for getting the most out of your ceiling fan.
How to maintain your ceiling fans
Like any appliance or equipment in your home, ceiling fans require a little bit of regular upkeep to make sure you’re reaping all of their cooling benefits. Some tasks, like dusting, are easy and should be done every month. Others, like checking the fan’s balance, can happen about once a year.
Clean the blades monthly
Add your fan blades to your regular dusting routine. Dusty blades won’t cut through the air quite as well as clean ones, because the particle building can blunt airflow passing over the spinning surfaces. There’s no special equipment needed, just passing a duster or a damp rag over the fan blades will do. It’s also a good idea to wrap an old pillowcase around the blades to catch debris. At minimum, plan to do this monthly—and before you clean the floors.
Reverse the spin seasonally
Ceiling fans are bidirectional. In the summer, they should spin counterclockwise. The angle of the blades then pushes air downward, creating a cool breezy area below it. In the winter, they should spin clockwise; that direction produces a gentle updraft off the blades, which forces warm air hanging out near the ceiling down into the room. Most modern fans have a switch to quickly change the direction of the spin—just make sure it’s off when you climb up there.
Check the balance and fasteners annually
Regularly using a fan may include some maintenance, like ensuring that it’s properly balanced and that all the screws are tight. You should plan to do this once a year, but if you notice that the fan is wobbly or noisy it’s wise to take a look.
There are a couple spots to check the fasteners. First, find and tighten the screws in the mounting hardware that keeps the fan attached to the ceiling. Then, check the fasteners on the ceiling fan downrod, which is the rod that attaches the ceiling fan motor and to the mounting. Finally, you’ll make sure all of the blades are securely attached to the fan, which includes taking a look at and tightening fasteners in the hanger ball (which is the base the blades are attached to) and blade arms.
To further correct any wobbles, you’ll also want to check that everything is balanced correctly. For starters, grab a tape measure and check the distance between the bottom of each blade and the ceiling and make sure that the measurements are the same—or almost the same, because not all ceilings are perfectly level. While you’re up there, make sure that one of the blades is warping or misshapen from age or humidity. If they are, it might be time for replacements. Ceiling fan balancing kits can also be super helpful in fixing an imbalance. These kits include things like clips and balancing weights that you clip onto the blade mounting brackets to tweak the balance.
And if this hasn’t worked, you’ll need to consult a professional electrician or maintenance person to help you investigate why your fan isn’t balanced.
Bonus tip: Supercharge a fan’s cooling powers
Jordan Clark, a senior policy associate at the Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability at Duke University, said there’s an unconventional trick to making a ceiling fan work faster. “[Use a] basic spray bottle, to just kind of mist yourself enough to keep your skin damp,” he says. “If you can keep your skin damp, and even kind of wet your clothes.”
The wind from the fan will help the water misted on the skin evaporate, and pull heat from the surface of the skin to create a chilling effect—known as evaporative cooling. Think of it amping up your body’s natural cooling mechanism, but without having to get all sweaty first.
What to look for when shopping for a new fan
If you’re shopping for a new fan or want to make sure your home’s got the right ones, there are a few key measurements to keep in mind. First, is to make sure the fan’s big enough for the room it’s in. An room or area that’s up to 75 square feet should use a fan that’s 29 to 36 inches across, according to Energy Star. An even bigger space that’s anywhere from 76 to 144 square feet should have a fan that’s 36 to 42 inches across.
Equally important is how high those spinning blades are above the floor. A fan works best when it’s 7 to 9 feet above the ground, and about 10 inches below the ceiling, according to the Department of Energy. This allows for it to be at a safe distance for people to walk under as well.
More ways to keep your home cool
Ceiling fans are, of course, only one tool for keeping your home at a comfortable temperature—without blasing the air conditioning. Here are some other options to consider when trying to cut the amount of energy it takes to cool (and heat) a home.
Explore efficient landscaping
The foliage and surfaces that surround your home can have a major impact on the comfort inside. From the placement of trees to the placement of your driveway, there’s a lot you can do to tweak the environments immediately outside to make a home cooler in the summer and toastier in the winter. Here’s an overview of the best practices in energy-efficient landscaping.
Consider a cool roof
LIke landscaping, the tippity-top of a home can make a massive impact on how much heat sneaks inside. A cool roof will reflect the light and heat from sunlight, and readily release the heat that it absorbs. According to the Department of Energy, a conventional roof on a sunny summer afternoon could reach temperatures of 150 degrees Fahrenheit or more, but under those same conditions, a reflective roof could stay more than 50 degrees Fahrenheit cooler. Here’s what you need to know about these reflective, cooling roof materials.
Install a heat pump
Probably the biggest upgrade you can make to your home’s HVAC system is to swap an inefficient air conditioning unit for a heat pump. Unlike conventional systems, heat pumps act like massive temperature exchangers that move hotter temperatures from the inside-out in the summer and from the outside-in in the winter. Check out this guide to see if a heat might be right for your home.