We’ve all been there: It’s the middle of summer, the heat is sweltering, and you’re hesitating to turn on your air conditioner because it’s so expensive.
While air conditioners do a great job at cooling your room, they’re a high-priced way to beat the heat, and the cost of running them every day during summer can add up!
During summer, you might find yourself turning to your trusty ceiling fan instead as they are much cheaper to run. Unfortunately, they don’t do nearly as good of a job at cooling a room compared to an air conditioner.
However, did you know that ceiling fans may be able to complement your air conditioning and make your cooling system a lot more energy-efficient?
To help you cool your home in a much more energy and cost-efficient way, this guide will cover:
- The relationship between ceiling fans and air conditioning
- The benefits of using ceiling fans with air conditioning
- Tips for optimizing your ceiling fan alongside your air conditioning.
Let’s get into it!
Contents
Do Ceiling Fans Help Air Conditioning?
Yes, ceiling fans do help with air conditioning. They can take a significant portion of the workload off your air conditioning, allowing it to run at a much more cost and energy-efficient level. Furthermore, the increased airflow that the ceiling fan creates can improve the efficiency of your air conditioning system.
Relationship Between Ceiling Fans and Air Conditioning
The relationship between ceiling fans and air conditioning is a complementary one. The two can work together to help your home become even cooler while saving on energy consumption and costs.
How ceiling fans work
Ceiling fans work by using electricity to rotate fan blades. The shape of these blades allows for a strong airflow to develop, which creates a cool breeze that cools the temperature of the surrounding area.
The complementary role of ceiling fans in cooling
Ceiling fans can complement your air conditioning when used for cooling in two different ways.
Firstly, using a ceiling fan creates a windchill effect which allows you to raise your thermostat to five degrees higher without a change in comfort.
This takes some of the cooling workload off of your air conditioner and allows it to function at a more efficient level.
Secondly, the airflow of the ceiling fan improves the circulation of the room and reduces cool zones and hot spots. This allows for your air conditioner to achieve a more uniform cooling effect which can be more energy and cost efficient.
Impact on air conditioning efficiency
A ceiling fan can make an air conditioner significantly more efficient. This is because the ceiling fan can even out the temperature of the room and remove any hot and cool spots.
The air conditioning is then able to simply focus on cooling the room, rather than also evening out the temperature, which ultimately makes it a lot more efficient.
Benefits of Using Ceiling Fans with Air Conditioning
Energy and cost savings
One of the best benefits of using a ceiling fan with air conditioning is the energy and cost savings you can experience.
As the ceiling fan can do some of the cooling work in place of your air conditioning unit, the air conditioner does not need to use as much power.
A ceiling fan is a lot more cost and energy-efficient than an air conditioning unit, so by using the fan to do a chunk of the cooling work, your air conditioner can operate at a much more energy-efficient level.
The more energy-efficient an appliance is, the cheaper it is to run, which means that using your fan alongside your ceiling fan can save you money.
Increased comfort and airflow
The shape of a ceiling fan’s blades allows it to improve the airflow in whichever room it operates in.
Proper airflow is crucial in all rooms as it can have a significant impact on your health, especially if you are using an air conditioning unit.
By utilizing your ceiling fan alongside your air conditioner, you are ensuring your rooms are well-ventilated – making them healthier and a lot more comfortable.
Extended lifespan of air conditioning system
Using a ceiling fan reduces the workload on your air conditioning system. The less your air conditioner is used, the less it experiences normal wear and tear – which can in turn increase its life span.
Using your ceiling fan is a cheap and efficient way to preserve the abilities of your air conditioner.
Tips for Optimizing the Use of Ceiling Fans with Air Conditioning
Setting the fan direction correctly
The direction in which you set your fan to spin can greatly impact how efficiently it works alongside your air conditioning unit.
During summer, a ceiling fan should be set in the counterclockwise direction. This is because a counterclockwise direction creates downdraft, which has a cooling effect and allows the temperature of the room to be lowered more efficiently.
Adjusting the thermostat accordingly
A ceiling fan’s wind chill can allow for the thermostat to be set up to five degrees higher without there being a noticeable change in comfort levels.
Therefore, you need to adjust your thermostat accordingly to account for this.
Turning off fans in unoccupied areas
One of the best energy-saving tips is to simply not use an appliance unless it is needed, and this goes for air conditioning and fans too.
If you are operating a fan in an area that is unoccupied, turn it off to save on energy.
The Bottom Line
Using a ceiling fan alongside your air conditioning system is a great way to cool your home in an energy-efficient way.
The fan allows for the air conditioner to function at a much more efficient level, allowing you to not only cool your home effectively but also to save money. The more energy-efficient an appliance is, the more money you save by running it.
This is great for the summer months when the heat creates the temptation to have the air conditioner running all day, as you can now cool your home without worrying about your power bill!
