Ceiling FansWhen it’s warm, most people really just need to feel comfortable. Air conditioners blow cold air, taking a long time to cool the entire home. A ceiling fan offers the same level of comfort, but requires as much as 98% less energy to operate. It circulates the air, generating a feeling of comfort and carrying cooling breezes through the home. Save the air conditioner for the really hot days, and use a ceiling fan instead.
Tip: Because warm air rises and collects around the ceiling, ceiling fans have two settings: winter and summer. That little switch on the side of the fan controls the setting. The default summer setting pulls air upward, sucking in breezes from open windows and cooling things down. The winter setting pushes the warm air gathered at the ceiling down onto you below. Make sure you have your fan set on the correct setting.
Whole-House Fans
A whole-house fan is installed in the ceiling of the top floor of your home. When it’s switched on, the fan sucks air into the attic, drawing in cool air from the outside. In order to work effectively, open the windows of the rooms you want to cool, and close the doors of unused rooms. Highly effective and much less expensive than central air conditioning, a whole house fan can keep you cool through the summer.
Tip: Fans can also be used to boost the power of a window-mounted air conditioner and cut down on its energy usage. Place a stand-up fan near the cold air vent on your window unit and turn it on: By distributing the air faster and more evenly, the fan will cool the whole room faster and reduce the load on your air conditioner.
Solar Attic Fans
If your home has an attic space, install a solar-powered attic fan. These inexpensive fans turn on automatically when it gets too hot, siphoning the hot air out of the attic. Use of an attic fan will lower the temperature of the attic, reducing the strain on your air conditioner and saving you money.
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