There are many benefits to having a ceiling fan, especially in a four season climate such as we have here in the Fox Cities. In the summer, a gently spinning fan can lower the feel of a room’s temperature while in the winter months, it can lift up and distribute warm air throughout the room.
Now understand that a ceiling fan doesn’t actually cool the room, but it does make you feel cooler because of the slight chill on your skin. That means you can raise your thermostat and feel just as comfortable.
Cost Savings
A recent study showed that most ceiling fans use just slightly more energy than a 100-watt light bulb, and the newer Energy Star-rated fans use about half that, saving you money in energy costs over the life of the fan. In fact, every degree you raise the thermostat over 78 degrees, you can save 3% to 8% on cooling costs. So a ceiling fan can really save you money in cooling costs!
Size Matters
With any ceiling fan, the goal is to move air (measured in CFM or cubic feet per minute) with fewer revolutions per minute (rpm). So the bigger the blades and the fan, the more air that can be moved at lower revolutions. For example, a fan that’s 36″ to 42″ in diameter might have a top speed of 300 rpm but a 52″ fan can move the same amount of air at 220 rpm.
And if you think adding more blades will make up for it, your wrong. Go for the biggest fan that will fit in the space. Putting in a small fan to make it appear inconspicuous can very easily have the opposite effect and is a missed opportunity for cooling comfort.
Per the guidelines from the American Lighting Association:
Not Just for Summer
You may not know, but ceiling fans can turn out to be very useful in the cold Wisconsin winters as well. Merely by reversing the direction of the rotation of the fan, it can be used to push the air up against the ceiling. This makes the warm air gather at the top of the room. Gradually this warm air drifts down the walls and spreads across the room. Nowadays many fans are available with switches to reverse the direction of rotation.
Do it in Style
Most modern ceiling fans these days are designed with style, elegance and come in all sorts of colors. Therefore installing stylish ceiling fans in your living room or other rooms not only serve dual purposes as a functional fan but also as a pleasing, eye-catching decorative item for your rooms.
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