Ceiling Fans – A way to Save Money and Cool Your Home
Although ceiling fans first originated in hot, tropical countries and were in widespread use in the early 1900′s, today they have given way to the air conditioner. While more and more people have in the past moved away from ceiling fans with the advent of air conditioning, the ceiling fan is making an important comeback. This is due to the continuing escalating cost of utilities and the expense of running a central air conditioning system. 
People are beginning to understand that comfort doesn’t need to mean cold. It also means that they’re able to save significantly on the monthly electric bills. How much savings of course depends on local utility cost and the amount of time an air conditioning system is in operation. Though, a 2-3 dollar per DAY savings is not unreasonable if a household can use ceiling fans a major part of the day instead of running the air conditioning system.
A ceiling fan however is much more than an air movement device. They’re beautiful and can be ordered to perfectly fit into any decor or room of your home. Ceiling fans can be a great way to increase the energy savings in your home while providing a comfortable living environment. Offering more features and functionality than a standard light, most ceiling fans can easily be installed to replace your light fixture. Depending on the height of the ceiling, the unit can be mounted close, with the motor almost touching the ceiling or with a matching decorator bar to allow the unit to hang down into the room a little more if the ceiling height can handle it. The air movement naturally cools people and makes them comfortable without resorting to the expense of cooling through a compressor air conditioning unit.
Ceiling fan energy efficiency can vary greatly depending on the unit and the accessories that might be added to them. Additional energy savings can be had by simply turning the ceiling fan and lights off when you leave the room. Using the lights and fan in a reasonable manner: constantly adjusting the speed of the blades and turning the lights on and off repeatedly will use more energy than letting the fan run at a constant level. Even more energy savings can be made by purchasing a ceiling fan with an Energy Star rating which can move the air up to 20% more efficiently than a standard fan. Many leading manufacturers offer them with the Energy Star ratings and prominently display it.
Many people wrongly assume that a ceiling fan is only good in the summer. Actually most fans have a reverse switch. This allows the fan to either pull air from the floor area or push air from the ceiling. So in summer, you would want air movement from low to high but in winter, with hot air rising, you would naturally want the warmer air at the ceiling to be pushed down to warm the whole room. Ceiling fans also are great to use anywhere there’s people or living spaces including bedrooms, living and family rooms and even out on the backyard patio or deck.
So in the end, a ceiling fan can be a great way to add a nice decorating touch to your home while saving big dollars on that monthly electric bill. It’s not unreasonable to save the price of the ceiling fan in one summer, just on the electric bill alone. With your home more open, natural ventilation will make it more pleasant and enjoyable both inside and out.
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Bruce Grates posted on August 31, 2009:
Excellent article and I totally agree. I would like to add however that the height of the ceiling fan above the floor is also critically to the most efficient functioning of a ceiling fan. A ceiling fan should optimally be mounted so the blades are 7 to 8 feet above the floor. Also, as mentioned above, ceiling fans can save you on energy costs. During the summer this can account for up to a 40% savings in your cooling bill. Another thing to bear in mind is the fan size. For instance, if your room is 10′ x 10′ then a 36″ fan would be sufficient, however in a 20′ x 20′ room you would need a 54″ fan. For more informational videos explaining some of these things you should look at before buying a ceiling fan, check out the videos at http://www.HunterCeilingFanStore.com/Ceiling-Fan-Videos.html Hope this gives you some good pointers in buying your next ceiling fan.