On Monday, Chris told you about his new ceiling fan and how it's changed the way he cools his home. In warm weather, ceiling fans cool people (not rooms) by producing a wind-chill effect—which is why you should turn off fans when you leave the room. A ceiling fan allows you to raise the thermostat setting about 4°F with no reduction in comfort.
Ceiling fans don't just cool in the summer; you can also reverse the direction in the winter to provide an updraft and force warm air down into the room.
How has a ceiling fan affected the way you heat and cool your home?
Each Thursday, you have the chance to share your thoughts on a question about energy efficiency or renewable energy for consumers. Please comment with your answers, and also feel free to respond to other comments.
E-mail your responses to the Energy Saver team at consumer.webmaster@nrel.gov.
