The first day of winter in California is just days away and besides checking your doors and windows to make sure that they are well-insulated for colder weather, you should also reverse the direction of the ceiling fans in your home.
Why Reverse the Direction of Your Ceiling Fans?
Just about every home in Orange County or Rancho Santa Margarita has ceiling fans and what most people don’t know is that by reversing the direction of those fans you can keep the rooms in your home warmer during the winter months because the fan will be pushing that warm air down into the room.
In the summer months, the slightly angled blades of a ceiling fan turn counterclockwise to move air down, making people feel cooler due to a concept known as the wind chill effect. During winter, the warm air generated by your heating system naturally rises to the ceiling while cooler air sinks. By switching the direction that your fan blades turn, that cooler air is drawn upwards, which forces the warmer air near the ceiling back down into the space.
How does this save energy? Since thermostats are typically located at human level, keeping the warm air low where it’s needed means you can turn the temperature down a few notches and still stay warm.
On most fan models, there is generally a small switch on the fan to reverse the direction (I actually had to remove a few screws to reach ours). Additionally, running the fan at the lowest speed will circulate air while reducing the feeling of actual air movement in the room. While this technique should work in standard size rooms, it works especially well in vaulted or tall ceiling spaces where the people occupying the space are further separated from the warm air collecting at the ceiling. Furthermore, even though running a fan uses a small amount of electricity, there is generally still a net savings in energy use.
Just remember, clockwise in winter, counterclockwise in summer.
Get Your Heater Tuned Up for Winter – Contact Us Today!
There’s still plenty of time to get your heater tuned up for winter. This is important to do because you want your heater to work correctly during the winter months and a properly functioning heater will also save you money on your energy costs.
To schedule a heater, tune-up contact us today by calling (949) 482-2911 or click here to connect with us online.