Combining Ceiling Fans With Your A/C Drives Energy Costs Down

It’s the standard summer dilemma. You want to keep your house cool in the heat, but you’d prefer not to pay an astronomical sum for using your air conditioning unit. Luckily, there is a way to increase the efficiency of your home’s air conditioning: Use your ceiling fans.

How it works

Ceiling fans circulate the air to create a wind-chill effect. The resulting breeze will let you to raise your thermostat by up to four degrees without paying the price in comfort. In milder weather, ceiling fans can often allow you to forego A/C altogether, neatly trimming down your energy costs. Just be sure to turn the fan off when you leave the room, as the wind-chill effect doesn’t actually cool the air.

Installing ceiling fans

Ideally, ceiling fans should only be installed in rooms that have a ceiling height of at least eight feet. A well-placed ceiling fan should place the blades at least eight inches away from the ceiling and 18 inches away from the wall. Be sure to check the noise ratings or ask to listen to your fan in operation before making a purchase, and keep an eye out for Energy Star-qualified models to keep energy costs even lower.

Additional tips

The best way to keep energy costs down is to provide proper care for your air conditioning system. Check filters every month and change them as needed. Clogged or dirty filters block the air running through your A/C unit, forcing your air conditioner to work harder to cool you down.

You should also schedule routine professional maintenance for your A/C. Planned service ensures that efficiency issues can be taken care of quickly and expertly. Schedule a routine check with a certified technician in the warmer months before you begin using the A/C regularly.

For more expert advice, or to schedule HVAC service in the Middletown area, contact C.R. Wolfe Heating and Air Conditioning today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about ceiling fans and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

CR Wolfe Heating services Middletown, NY. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!