Is a home really a home without ceiling fans? They’re a time-tested means of controlling the climate in your home, and they have so many benefits. It’s not hard to see why they’re getting more popular.
If you don’t have ceiling fans in your home, you need some. They can keep you comfortable not just in the summer but in the winter, too. They’re an energy efficient and sustainable alternative to air conditioning. You can install them anywhere, indoors or outside. They’ll cut your utility costs and they can offer some great features. They even come in a wide range of stylish designs to please every homeowner.
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They Can Keep You Comfortable in Any Season
Running a ceiling fan in the summer can make the room feel four degrees cooler than it actually is. The fan doesn’t actually cool the room; it just makes the room feel cooler by circulating the air. It’s actually your body’s evaporating cooling mechanism that makes you feel cooler when the fan is on.
But fans can keep you comfortable when it’s cold outside, too. Most fans have a switch on the side of the fan motor housing that, when flipped, reverses the direction in which the fan blades spin. In the winter, you can set the fan blades to spin clockwise. Warm air from your vents rises to linger near the ceiling, and spinning your blades clockwise pushes it back down again, into the room where it can actually serve its purpose.
Fans Can Cut Utility Costs
Because a ceiling fan makes it feel four degrees cooler in the room, you can turn your thermostat up four degrees in the summer and cut utility costs by about one percent per each degree over an eight-hour period. In the winter, you can use your fan to conserve heat and keep your thermostat lower without sacrificing your comfort. Ceiling fans cost about five cents a day to run.
They’re Energy Efficient and Sustainable
Ceiling fans typically use about 75 watts, although it might be more or less depending on the size of the fan. A particularly large fan could require 100 watts, while a smaller fan might require 35 watts. An energy-efficient model could require as few as 16 watts. Central air, on the other hand, uses 3,000 to 4,000 watts. That’s a big difference.
So ceiling fans are clearly the more energy-efficient and sustainable choice for home climate control.Even if you’re not going to depend solely on your ceiling fans but are going to run them in conjunction with your central air, you’ll still save energy and resources by using your fan to circulate air throughout the room. Remember to turn it off when you leave the room – it cools you, not the room.
You Can Install Them Anywhere
Ceiling fans can be a great addition to any room in your home, or even to an outdoor space. If you’re going to hang a ceiling fan in a room where moisture is present, such as a kitchen or bathroom, make sure you buy a damp-rated fan. If you’re going to hang a fan outdoors, make sure you buy a wet-rated fan. If you’re hanging the fan indoors in a room where there is no moisture, like a bedroom, you can buy a dry-rated fan.
Ceiling Fans Are More Stylish Than Ever
If you’ve been steering clear of ceiling fans because you don’t want something hanging from your ceiling that looks like it was picked out by your great aunt, never fear. Today’s ceiling fans are more stylish than ever. You can choose from a wide range of designs to suit any decorating sense. If your look is more rustic, shop for farmhouse ceiling fans. If you’re looking for something for your beach house, look at palm-leaf fans. If your aesthetic is more contemporary, look for something sleek with swooping lines.
Modern Fans Have Some Great Features
There’s absolutely no reason why you need to be limited to a fan with a plain light fixture and a couple of pull chains. Modern fans have some great features, like dimmable light fixtures, smart connectivity, remote controls, and wireless wall controls. Consider what features you really need from a fan before you commit.
If you don’t have ceiling fans in your home, you’re missing out on cooling breezes, lowered utility costs, and a stylish home fixture. Get out there and start shopping for ceiling fans today. You’ll be surprised at how much of a difference they can make to the comfort of your home.
