Oak Hill, WV (WOAY-TV): Most folks want to find ways to lower heating and cooling costs year-round and the click of a button on a popular household item could be the key to saving a few pennies.
Strategically using a ceiling fan can save up to 30 percent on your summer electric bill and up to 15 percent on your winter electric bill. What do we mean by strategically using a ceiling fan?
Make sure the blades are spinning in a clockwise direction as we move through the colder weather season. Low fan speed with the blades turning clockwise pushes the warmer air bottled up near the ceiling down to where people can feel more comfortable. In turn, you can lower the thermostat and still feel warm thanks to the new air circulation pattern.
This is especially important for folks with high ceilings where warm air accumulates in the winter.
In the summer when temperatures warm, flip the switch on the ceiling fan so the blades spin counterclockwise and ramp it up to the highest speed setting. This pushes cool air down in a column, creating a pleasant “wind chill effect.”
For those with vaulted ceilings, leave the fan running counterclockwise all year because the fan is too high up for anyone to feel the benefit of a wind chill effect. If you have a ceiling fan in your dining room, set it to turn clockwise a low or medium speed to keep food from cooling too quickly. Keep the blades turning clockwise for ceiling fans in a room with lots of paperwork, otherwise things will just blow around.
If you are a smoker, set the fan to run clockwise to draw smoke up and away from other family members.
Finally, if you have an outdoor ceiling fan on a porch or covered patio, have it turn clockwise in winter and counterclockwise in summer for cooling or ventilation. Have the blades rotate clockwise in the summer to keep mosquitos away.
