If you want to reduce the energy bills in your Northern Virginia home without making your family uncomfortable, ceiling fans can help during both the heating and cooling seasons.
A ceiling fan only moves air. It doesn’t cool the air, but it can give the occupants in a room the feeling of being cooler. This happens because heat tends to radiate into cooler spaces. When the air in a room is lower than your body temperature, heat from your body moves into the air. This leaves you feeling cooler, but the feeling quickly goes away if the warmed air stays next to your body. A ceiling fan moves the air away, allowing cooler air to take its place. The process of heat transfer is repeated, leaving you feeling cooler while the fan is on.
If the weather is mild, you can use a ceiling fan for nearly all of your cooling needs. Even if the weather is hotter, a fan supplements your air conditioner’s efforts and allows you to run the A/C at a higher temperature setting without any loss of comfort. In fact, you can typically set your thermostat up to four degrees higher when you’re running a ceiling fan without noticing any difference in comfort. The higher your thermostat is set, the less energy your air conditioner uses during hot weather. This sounds great for the warmer seasons, but how can a ceiling fan help in the winter?
In the summer, your fan should be set to run counterclockwise. This setting pushes air down so that it reaches the occupants in the room. In the winter, however, you should flip the switch that is typically located on the motor housing to make the fan blades run clockwise. This sends air up toward the ceiling. Since heat rises, the air going upward displaces the heated air and sends it toward the floor where you benefit from it. You can set your thermostat to a lower temperature without noticing any difference in comfort.
If you need help or more information about using ceiling fans to increase your home’s comfort and energy efficiency, we’d love to help you weigh the options and find the right solution for your Northern Virginia home!
One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning, a Modern Mechanical company, is a home services specialist with a history of exceptional work and satisfied clients. The company specializes in heating and air conditioning solutions and also provides plumbing and electrical services. Headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia, One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning assists residential and commercial customers throughout Northern Virginia with an array of home services needs. The team consists of professionals who are trained, certified and uniformed.
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If you need additional information, please call 571-421-1888.
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