How ceiling fans throughout your home can make things much more comfortable – and not just in the summertime
South Florida is a pretty spectacular place to live, but – as all residents know – it can get hot. Real hot. It can also get humid. Real sweat-dripping, clothes-sticking-to-every-inch-of-your-body, sometimes-three-showers-a-day-aren’t-enough humid. But that’s okay, as long as your air conditioning is working, right? Well, yes and no. Sure the AC can help keep you nice and cool, but this isn’t the most efficient way to beat the heat. Combining your AC with ceiling fans, however, can do the trick nicely.
Five benefits of ceiling fans
While your home may already have a ceiling fan or two, there are many advantages to installing them in every room, or at least in the rooms used the most, including:
Decreased energy usage
During the summer months, your AC is probably on all the time and cranked up pretty high. And while this feels good, what doesn’t feel good is when your power bill comes, and you see how much that cooler air costs you.
With ceiling fans, you can shrink this bill significantly, by as much as 40%. This is because the fans circulate the air, which reduces temperatures in a room by several degrees. As a result, you can set the thermostat higher.
Plus, well-circulated air helps maintain a more constant temperature, which means your system won’t cycle on and off as much, reducing your AC’s workload. All of this results in less money out of your pocket, not to mention less strain on the planet.
A more comfortable home even when it’s not so hot
You may be thinking, sure, fans will come in handy during the summer, but what about when it doesn’t feel like we’re about 20 feet from the sun? What you may not realize is that ceiling fans have a switch that allows you to change how the blades spin. When it’s hot, they should go in a counterclockwise direction, as this pushes air downward. But when it’s cooler outside, the blades should go the other way, as this will pull the cool air upward and force the warm air down. This is something to keep in mind when the temperature drops to a shiver-inducing 59 degrees, and you turn on the heat.
A way to cool the outdoors, too
Think ceiling fans can only be used inside? Nope. If you have a covered deck, porch, or patio, you can also use them there. If you enjoy spending time outside, this is a great way to get the air moving and keep things a little cooler. Another plus – and this is a big one – is the fact that circulating air can help keep bugs away, including those always-pesky mosquitoes.
Improved illumination
Do you have rooms in your home without any built-in light fixtures, and you’re dependent on floor or table lamps to light things up? A fan with a light component will help fix that immediately. You may also be able to replace an existing light fixture with a fan/light combination. Better air circulation and illumination creates a real win-win.
Enhanced décor
In addition to being practical, ceiling fans can also be an excellent way to improve your home’s décor. While many fans are pretty basic (and maybe a little boring), there are now tons of designs that can match your home’s aesthetic and perhaps your own personal style. Plus, you can go with different types, depending on where you’re putting them. This will give your home some nice new decorative elements and perhaps even a bump in its value.
It won’t be long before the really hot weather gets here, so now is the time to get your home ready. If you’d like to have some ceiling fans installed – or perhaps upgrade the ones you have – get in touch with Universal Electrical. We’ll make sure the job is done right the first time. You can give us a call at 954-792-5444 or send an email to info@YourPowerPro.com.
