Ceiling fans are the ideal way in summer to cool you. But the question is do they actually cool down a room? How and what do ceiling fans cool down and are they good at it? Let’s dive into this to find out.
Ceiling fans don’t cool down a room. They cool down the people by generating the air in the room, creating a refreshing air. By moving, your body loses heat. The sweat on your skin moves the heat from the body to the air, allowing you to become cooler. Use an air conditioner to cool the breeze.
But is there any advantage of keeping the ceiling fan on if you are not in the room? Read this guide to learn more about ceiling fans and how they work exactly.
Why Don’t Ceiling Fans Cool Down a Room?
Ceiling fans don’t cool down a room as they are not equipped with active cooling elements. Their task is to circulate the air in your room, which cools down the people in it, but the overall temperature of the space remains the same.
It is fascinating how much a ceiling fan makes you feel cooler without changing or lowering the actual temperature. While an AC cools the temperature of your room by removing the hot, humid air inside. That is the reason air conditioners come with an outside unit that gets rid a bit of water, which used to be water vapor in your place.
Ceiling fan does not dry out the air rather it dries out the sweat on your skin and you will experience cooler. If you leave your ceiling fan on for hours, it will not decrease the temperature of your room. Even if you left it at the lowest speed, nothing will be changed.
The only way your fan could cool down your space would be by opening a window and placing it nearby to get the cool air in. I also do it in the summer months, and it does a positive impact. Unluckily, a ceiling fan cannot do that as it only moves air around the room. When you open the windows, they circulate a refreshing breeze. In this case, you can leave a ceiling fan on for 20-30 minutes and it does make sense too.
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Does a Ceiling Fan Make My Room Hotter?
Your ceiling fan makes your room hotter as it does not produce heat, but the temperature of the room increases by about 1-2 degrees every hour. This rise in temperature cannot be felt as the ceiling fan cools you down at the same time.
So, the question is how exactly does a ceiling fan make your room hotter?
The single-phase induction of the fan produces heat as it helps the fan blades to rotate. The engine converts electrical energy into mechanical energy which changes into thermal energy that moves into the room. The difference is minimal. Even if you turn the ceiling fan on all day, the heat will escape long before the motor can turn the room hotter.
If anybody is not in the room, you should switch off your ceiling fan. You are wasting your money. In addition, you will have to pay the price. The more power your unit consumes, the more it heats your room. An average ceiling fan consumes about 55-100 watts. The LED lighting kit can add 5-10 watts in it.
If you are looking for an energy-efficient ceiling fan, you should get an Energy Star-rated. They are qualified as well as certified for offering efficiency as compared to normal fans. The Monte Carlo 5CY60BK Ceiling Fan is a beautiful premium ceiling fan that uses only 71 watts. For a 60″ (1.52 m) fan, it is an impressive thing. You can also mount this five-blade durable fan outdoors.
How Does a Ceiling Fan Make You Feel Cooler?
A ceiling fan allows you to have a cooling experience by restricting the stale air around you. A wind chill effect is created by the fan. One part of the room keeps the cool air near you and prevents the warm air. Also, the breeze also helps your skin to evaporate sweat from your skin instantly.
In this case, the procedure through which your body gets rid of heat is known as conduction. In short, conduction occurs when there is a physical contact of air with your body, which results in heat transfer. In order to understand it, there is no next level of physics education is required.
let’s have a look at it: it is summer and you are walking near the beach in a hot day. For instance, It’s 100°F (37.7°C) outside, so it will be like the sun is burning your skin. Suddenly fresh air touches you. You will feel cooler even though the air was not cool. The same is the case with the ceiling fan, when you switch it on. The temperature remains the same or even rises over time, but your body remains comfortable. So, choosing a ceiling fan is an ideal and reasonable way to cool down your body and thermodynamics.
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Should You Run Ceiling Fans When Not in Room?
You shouldn’t run ceiling fans when there is no one in the room. It will increase the energy bills as they cannot cool down the room. Their job is to circulate the air in your surroundings. However, you can leave the ceiling fan on if you have a pet and it is in the room to keep it cooler.
If your room has a mildew problem, you can leave the ceiling fan on. The air circulation allows the corner to dry rapidly, but the air humidity will not be decreased in the room.
To obtain it, you can combine your ceiling fan with a dehumidifier. The Pro Breeze Electric Mini Dehumidifier is ideal to do this job. This is small, effective, and portable. The operation is also quiet, so you can leave it on even if you are having a nap.
The function of dehumidifier is to dry the air out while ceiling fans move the air the full time. In the hot days of summer, you will be relaxed when dry air hits your skin. So, there is no need for a power-sucking air conditioner.
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Are Ceiling Fans Effective?
Ceiling fans are effective when it comes to cooling you because they create a mild draft in your room. A ceiling fan can help multiple people to remain cool in a single room, which is opposite to other types of fans that cannot make over one or two people comfortable.
Ceiling fans are a part and parcel of every home. They can reduce your power usage by 5-10% both in summer as well as winter. The fans are very effective because they evaporate the sweat on your skin to cool you down in a natural way. If a ceiling fan is the only way to cool down, it is still a much better option than nothing. You can also prevent heat stroke by using it.
According to Energy.gov, ceiling fans are the most effective when it comes to circulating. A large ceiling fan is successful even if you keep it at a low speed level. They create a natural air that keeps you cool while watching TV, making dinner or browsing the internet.
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Are Ceiling Fans Power Efficient?
Ceiling fans are power-efficient appliances that keep its users cool. They only use as less power as an incandescent light bulb. Nevertheless, they are very effective to keep your space comfortable.
You need to keep in mind that all ceiling fans are not equal. Some of the models use twice as much power as others. Here are some factors that influence power efficiency:
- Size: The diameter of your ceiling fan has a significant effect on power consumption. A large commercial ceiling fan can consume five times as much electricity as your small indoor fan.
- Light fixture: If your ceiling fan comes with a built-in light fixture, it will add more energy consumption. It usually adds 5-10 watts of usage because most ceiling fans are designed with modern, power-efficient LED bulbs.
- Blade design: The more aerodynamic the blade is, the less energy it consumes. Some ceiling fans are made with sophisticated, lightweight blades that reduce the consumption of power without sacrificing effectiveness.
- Fan motor: Just like two cars that almost have the same looks but they are different in terms of gas mileage, the same is the case with fans. A modern, power-efficient motor uses less energy than an old model.
I already stated that Energy Star-rated ceiling fans generally consume less power because they are built for the sake of power efficiency.
However, a smaller ceiling fan can also save energy as well. The Hunter Dempsey Indoor Low Profile Ceiling Fan is a 44″ (1.11 m) fan with an addition of a light fixture that only uses 60.5 watts. This beautiful ceiling fan also packs a handheld remote in the package along with a reversible motor.
In general, a larger ceiling fan is more efficient than compared to smaller one, even if it consumes more energy overall. The speed of a larger fan can be lowered to match the consumption of energy to a smaller unit with the feature to increase it whenever you want.
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Should I Run a Ceiling Fan With an AC?
You should run a ceiling fan with an AC because a ceiling fan is capable of distributing cool as well as warm air in the room. The cooling or heating costs can be reduced by 5-10% just by turning your ceiling fan on while the air conditioner is working. However, you must adjust your thermostat to make it compatible.
In short, a ceiling fan can serve you in two ways, making you cooler and saving you money. Your air conditioner can cool one area of your room but the ceiling fan circulates the cool and warm air.
In the end, you will be able to enjoy the coolness of the AC. So, you have to adjust the temperature on your thermostat by a couple of degrees and switch on the fan. Ceiling fans use way less energy as compared to ACs. The mixture of the two helps you to get maximum cooling in summer and heating in the winter season.
Just keep in mind you won’t save any money if the temperature on your air conditioner remains the same and you do not increase it. In addition, you do not have to make your room 60°F (15.5°C) in the middle of a heatwave.
According to Mint, you can save more than 30% on your power bills if you adjust the thermostat. If increasing the thermostat temperature makes your room very hot, a ceiling fan comes in handy there. In a nutshell, millions of people only use a ceiling fan in the summer to have a cooling experience.
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How To Use a Ceiling Fan To Lower My Energy Bill?
To reduce your electricity bill, you can use a ceiling fan and also increase the temperature on your thermostat in summer. A ceiling fan can also be used in the winter to push warm air back down because hot air rises. Similarly, reduce the temperature of your heater to save on energy bills.
If your ceiling fan is reversible, run it counter-clockwise in summer to keep the hot air away from you and move it towards the ceiling. In the winter, do the opposite and it will rise the hot air to the top.
Your air conditioner consumes 1000-2000 watts per hour on average. But this usage can be reduced by 1-2% for every degree you increase on your AC. So, if you increase the temperature by 10°F (5.5°C) and use a 100-watt ceiling fan, it will save you the total energy consumption of around 5-10%. And you might feel cooler as well.
According to Save on Energy, you can save up to 15% if you switch on your ceiling fan. so, ceiling fan is also worth switching on in the winter months as well, but you need to ensure that you don’t get a cooling experience.
The Emerson Kathy Ireland Low Profile Ceiling Fan is an ideal option. It has five attractive blades with an oil-rubbed bronze finish, and it features a motor that works in both directions, making it an ideal choice for cooling and heating.
Final Words
Ceiling fans do not cool down a place. Actually, a fan makes your room slightly hotter due to the heating up of the engine in the fan.
However, a ceiling fan can not only keep you cooler but also your family, and your pet can also get the fresh air and get rid of the stale air around you. The cooling of a room is only done by combining the ceiling fan with an AC. My recommendation is to use both AC as well as fan and increase the temperature of your thermostat and save money. The refreshing cooling from the air conditioner will make your day along with the ceiling fan.