Ceiling Fans are an inexpensive way to add comfort to your home throughout the year. By operating ceiling fans properly you can cool off or warm up your home and save money at the same time by cutting down the use of air conditioning and heating units.

Ceiling Fan Direction in Summer

On hot sticky summer days nothing can beat the breeze you feel from a ceiling fan. (Trust me I should know I live in Florida) A ceiling fan’s direction in the summer should be rotating counter clockwise or forward to produce a Wind Chill effect by the downward airflow. The thermostat won’t actually change but the room will seem several degrees cooler due to the wind chill factor. You can save on air conditioning bills by placing ceiling fans throughout your home.  According to Casablanca Fan Company when you are using a ceiling fan you can then “raise the thermostat setting, resulting in reduced air conditioning energy consumption of 40% or more” while still keeping your room cool.

Ceiling Fan Direction in Winter

Ceiling fans are commonly linked with warm weather therefore many people don’t realize that ceiling fans can also help warm up a room in the winter months. The ceiling fan direction in winter should be rotating clockwise or reverse. Warm air rises and gets trapped near the ceiling so when the ceiling fan direction is in reverse mode it circulates the warm air from the ceiling to the floor helping take the chill out of the air. Without a ceiling Fan the warm air would continue to be trapped near the ceiling and the floor level would continue to stay cold. The reverse mode only works if the fan is on low. If you have the fan on a higher speed you will create a wind chill effect that you don’t want since it is already cold. Some Ceiling Fans now come with a wall or remote control that has a forward/reverse option so you can change the direction of the Fan with a push of a button.

Exceptions for Ceiling Fan Directions

There are some exceptions that you should keep in mind when it comes to ceiling fan direction.  If your ceiling fan is installed in a room with a high ceiling you still put the ceiling fan direction on clockwise or reverse motion in the winter although you should put the speed on medium or high. With higher ceilings it takes more than low speed to help re-circulate the warm air down to floor level.

Also if you have a ceiling fan directly over a dining room table or a desk you should have the ceiling fan direction rotating clockwise/reverse on a higher speed. By having the ceiling fan direction in reverse on a higher speed you will still get the wind chill effect that helps cool you off but will save you from a cold dinner or papers flying all over the place.

I hope this information helps you add comfort to you home year round. Don’t forget ceiling fans are a great way to help save money on utility bills without suffering in the Summer & Winter months.  Check out Energy Star’s Ceiling Fan Usage Tips on how to help save energy with ceiling fans.