Ceiling Fans Work with Air Conditioning!
So, how much energy do you use in your home?
What uses more energy in our homes — heating, cooling, lighting, cleaning or powering electronics like TVs, computers and MP3 players?
The ability to heat and cool is a very important accomplishment of modern technology. Our homes, ovens and freezers can be kept at any temperature we choose – a luxury that simply wasn’t possible 100 years ago. But keeping our homes comfortable uses a lot of energy.
In fact, statistics show that up to HALF of the energy used in your house, goes towards heating and cooling it. Therefore, looking at this area is a great way of saving money, as well as helping the environment.
Here’s an interesting concept.
To reduce your energy costs while still using air-conditioning
in summer, use your ceiling fan as well as your air-con to cool your home.
Because we feel cooler if there is a breeze, a ceiling fan (which helps to move the air) will make us feel cooler. Because we feel cooler, we can then change the air-con a couple of degrees – about 4 degrees F (about 2 degrees C) should be fine, Those extra degrees make a big difference!
Here are some more energy-saving (i.e. money-saving) tips.
- Switch ceiling fans off if you’re not in the room – it makes you feel cooler but fans don’t actually lower the temperature.
- Only use the fans if you’re going to change the air-con temperature – if you don’t change the air-con temperature, then running it and the ceiling fans will cost you more!
- If your ceiling fans give you the option, you will find greater comfort in the summer by setting the fans so that the air moves faster, and in a downward direction. (You may need to adjust the speed so you are comfortable with the noise and so that it doesn’t blow papers around).
- Having your home well insulated will ensure that the energy you use in cooling your home, is not wasted by all that air leaking outside.
Of course, if the temperature is not extreme where you live, you may be able to live comfortably without air conditioning at all – perhaps it’s more of a habit if your climate is not massively hot and/or humid. For people living in extreme temperatures, though, air-con is a real life-saver!
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Clare, In the 1980 in the United States the average family used 35% of their power to heat and coold thier home. As of the last study from the department of energy nearly 56% of energy is used. By people insultaing their homes better and sealing up cracks or voids that allow drafts that number can be decreased. Thanks for sharing another ecofriendly way to save energy
Scott Sylvan Bell
That’s a great statistic Scott, thanks for that! I’m fascinated by the implications – in general, our technology has become more efficient over the last 50 years, yet we’re spending a greater part of our household energy budget on heating and cooling! Was insulation more common in the 1980s? Is the convenience of central air-conditioning more widespread now, leading to higher usages? Have HVAC costs increased ahead of income? I shall try to find out what has caused this increase – with your knowledge of the industry, do you know?
Thanks, Clare.
People also forget or are sometimes too lazy to go around the house and open windows. A cross draft through the house can be super refreshing.
You’re absolutely right of course – that tip about opening the windows is probably just about the best thing you could possibly do when weather permits
Thanks!
Clare.
It’s funny how it is only in the last few years , architects have looked at designing homes to siut the climate ,rather than their appearance . In Australia we have so many poorly designed homes based on overseas designs . At least now designs are changing , as the savings on power consumption can be huge , wether it be in cooling or heating your house .
Yes, finally architects are seeing the sense in building homes for the local climate – although it also takes the clients to want it too (they pay the money!). I’ve known a few architects who’ve wanted to build “suitably” but the clients didn’t. Big, deep verandahs, shutters, ways of encouraging through-draughts, thicker or better-insulated walls, there are loads of ways of taking advantage of natural air-conditioning in hot climates – thanks for your comment!
Clare.
The Germans had a great way of using the environment to keep their houses livable. During the summer months, they would keep the windows open until about 8:00 am, then close the windows for the remainder of the day, until the night temperatures would allow for the windows to be open again, trapping the cooler air in the houses until time for a night recharge rolled around. Did wonders for the air-conditioning bills in the summer.
Absolutely perfect! It’s worked for centuries, and I think they use similar techniques in Mediterranean countries too. And then our modern technology comes along, and makes an artificial solution, and saves us having to open and close windows a few times… makes you think!
Thanks for your comment!
Hi Green Goddess,
And certainly the folks in arid Las Vegas would know! It gets quite cold in Vegas in the winter time and then meltingly hot in the summer.
Happy Dating and Relationships,
April Braswell