Ceiling fans can help you deal with the cold by pushing warm air around you and they help with the heat in summer by providing that cool breeze that feels so good on a warm summer’s day. But are ceiling fans effective in places like Michigan, especially southeast Michigan?
Are Ceiling Fans Effective in Places Like Michigan
In places like Michigan where the winters can be really cold many people think that ceiling fans don’t provide much help. This is usually because the settings used on the ceiling fans are wrong. By using the wrong settings on your ceiling fans you could be making your home feel colder than it actually is in the winter. Listed below are the optimal settings for a ceiling fan that can help you save money on energy costs and live more comfortably.
Winter Settings for a Ceiling Fan
As you may know warm air rises. If you don’t run a ceiling fan or at least some sort of fan to move air around all the heat in your home may be at the highest point in your ceiling. Which isn’t good if you’re sitting on the sofa. But a ceiling fan can move that air down to you. In order to do so you’ll need to set the ceiling fan to run clockwise to push the air up into the ceiling. The air will then travel along the ceiling to the walls and then down the walls.
You shouldn’t feel this air moving unless you’re standing right against the wall. Even for sofa, chairs, and other furniture against the wall the effects should be minimal. Since the air has traveled so far from the ceiling fan at this point it should barely be noticable. This also takes away that cold breeze that most people complain about when running a ceiling fan in winter.
Summer Settings for a Ceiling Fan
Now that you know how to set your ceiling fan for the cold winters in Michigan let me show you how to set it up for summer. Unlike winter settings for a ceiling fan you want to feel the cool breeze of the fan. So by setting the fan on counter-clockwise you in turn push air down into the room. Giving everyone in the room a cool breeze. You may even decide to turn off your air conditioner on days that have a comfortable outside temperature and open a few windows.
General Settings for a Ceiling Fan
By setting your ceiling fan up to get the most out of it you can really cut down on your energy bills. Energy Star ceiling fans use very little energy and can have a big impact on how comfortable your home is. In order to get the most out of a ceiling fan however you’ll need to stick to some general guidelines.
Although most ceiling fan manufacturers like Hunter will provide instructions for installing the fan there are some things that you may not be aware of. The optimal position of a ceiling fan is about 7 to 8 feet from the floor of the room you’re installing the fan in. You’ll also want to keep the ceiling fan about 1 foot to 1.5 feet away from the ceiling and it also should be at least 2 feet from the nearest wall.
Keep these recommendations handy and you could be sitting in a much warmer home this winter in Michigan by using just a simple ceiling fan along with your heating system. So that’s how to make ceiling fans effective even in places like Michigan.
