Ceiling Fans - Using Them in the Winter?

Most people use ceiling fans in the summer, creating a downdraft that causes a wind-chill effect. The skin evaporates slight amounts of water from the sweat glands, providing cooling through the skin’s surface. The air is only moved, not cooled so you want to turn the fan off when there are no people in the room. You may find you can lower your thermostat down a degree or two to save on energy costs.

Air settles in layers with the warmest air at the top of a room. In the winter, ceiling fans can run counterclockwise to redirect warm air from the ceiling down the walls and into living spaces where there are people. A general rule is to run the fan at a low speed so the warm air you want to move downward doesn’t cool off by the time it gets there.If your home is well sealed and insulated, there should be little difference in the air termperature so running a fan is not necessary.

To test your fan, try both ways on the high setting. If you feel a breeze, this is the “summer setting”. In the winter, you will not feel any air being blown since the air is being pushed out and down the walls.