With summers getting hotter every year, you need the best cooling solutions for your home. A cool house not only provides a reprieve from the hot summer temperatures, but is vital for your health and well-being. One of the most contested cooling solutions are ceiling fans.
While you’ll find ceiling fans in many homes and commercial facilities, there are a lot of misconceptions about the benefits they actually provide.
If you want to upgrade your home’s cooling capacity by installing a ceiling fan, get more insight here about how the system works.
The Mechanics of a Ceiling Fan
When a ceiling fan rotates, the blades push down the rising warm air and creates a downdraft. The downdraft reverses the typical movement of air in a room.
When the fan blades push the hot air down, there’s a vacuum created and cold air rushes to fill the gap. The cycle continues as long as the ceiling fan is on. The downdraft, breeze, and air circulation create a “wind chill effect.” This effect makes you feel cooler though the room temperatures remain the same.
Wind chill is based on the rate of heat loss from exposed skin caused by wind and cold. As the wind increases, it draws heat from the body, driving down skin temperature and eventually the internal body temperature. A ceiling fan accomplishes this effect the by circulating the cold air produced by the AC system.
The fan can only give this effect if there’s someone to enjoy it. Unlike the air conditioning, you shouldn’t leave the fan on when there’s no one in the room. Your HVAC contractor can advise on the viability of installing a ceiling fan as a cooling solution after assessing your home.
Ceiling fans are ideal in rooms whose ceilings are at least 8 feet high. The optimal location of the ceiling fan is with the blades 7 to 9 feet above the floor. The blades should also be 10 to 12 inches below the ceiling for the fan’s optimal performance.
Advantages of Ceiling Fans
Here are a few benefits to installing a ceiling fan:
- They compliment the air conditioning system in cooling your home by circulating the cool air from the AC.
- They can help save on the cost of cooling by allowing you to set your AC to a higher temperature and still remain comfortable.
- With the versatile styles/designs of ceiling fans on the market, they can add to the décor of your room.
- Smart ceiling fans are convenient and ensure occupants remain comfortable at all time.
- Ceiling fans can work with a battery backup in case of a power outage.
Wrapping Up
While a ceiling fan won’t cool a room on it’s own, by circulating the cold from your AC system, ceiling fans can add to the comfort of your home.