by Gemma Wiseman

Created on: June 30, 2007

Quietly rotating, aesthetically soothing ceiling fans are a wonderful means of reducing high summer electric cooling bills. The website www.residential-landscape-lighting-design.com claims that:
"most ceiling fans use only about as much power as a 100 watt light bulb".
Other websites claim that only the equivalent of a 75 watt light globe is used! For this small drain on energy, the moving air can "feel" up to 4 degrees cooler than still air! The website further claims that airconditioning bills can be reduced by approximately 40%. And www.garbes.com declares:

"A high quality efficient motor will move the most air with the least energy. A fan that uses less than 1 amp of electricity is a good start."
Ceiling fans offer an obvious, energy efficient alternative to the more expensive airconditioning systems.

However, saving on electricity bills cannot be fully realized unless ceiling fans are well chosen to suit the layout of the home or office. Ceiling fans are all about effective, even, air circulation. A small fan in a large room simply achieves an urge to resort to airconditioning! No savings there!

1. Rectangular rooms may need at least two equally spaced fans.
2. Double storey buildings may need a ceiling fan above the stairway to reduce the change in atmosphere from lower to upper floors.
3. The kitchen may need a ceiling fan. This particularly applies if there is someone who cooks in the summer. The heat will transfer to other areas and reduce the efficiency of any fans in these areas.
4. Even a verandah can be improved with a ceiling fan. Circulating air, immediately outside a door, helps reduce a wall of heat entering the home when the door is opened!

So far, the emphasis is mainly on reducing summer electricity bills with ceiling fans. That is when the fan blades turn counter-clockwise! However, ceiling fans are an all season, multi-purpose fuel saver! They can be useful for reducing winter bills too. Winter is a time when heaters often create warm and cool spots in a room. A slow turning ceiling fan (clock-wise, pushing down the warm air near the ceiling), ensures the room temperature is distributed evenly. Instead of turning up the electric heat, let the ceiling fan turn slowly! More comfort and less money spent!

For extra guarantee that you really are reducing your electricity bill, DO NOT choose a cheap ceiling fan. The inexpensive fan can become an expensive one. The motor is noisy and the fan blades may vibrate. At worst, the over-worked motor wastes more electric power than the more expensive one and may add to the room temperature by over heating. Savings may be minimal, especially if the fan has a short life span.

Finally, so that your fan is operating at optimum efficiency, the blades should be equally tilted at a 12 to 15 degree angle. The angle encourages and stirs air movement. A more flat blade simply slices through the air. Further, the blades should be clean so that dust is not contaminating the performance of the motor and circulating through the air as well.

Quality, well-maintained ceiling fans, carefully placed in the home or workplace, significantly help to reduce cooling (and heating) bills.

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