If you outfit your home with ceiling fans, it’s likely you can turn the thermostat up, which not only saves energy throughout Florida’s long cooling season; it also gives your hard-working cooling system a break. When air moves across your body, it’s able to cool itself faster as the moisture on your skin evaporates. If you’ve noticed that you feel warmer shortly after the cooling system turns off, you may experience relief by installing ceiling fans in each room you use frequently instead of lowering the temperature.
Although a ceiling fan won’t cool the air like a heat pump or air conditioner will, it does improve summertime comfort and lowers your carbon footprint. When adding a ceiling fan, use these tips to get the most effectiveness from it:
- Measure the size of the room, starting with the floor to ceiling height. If it’s 8 feet or taller, a ceiling fan will help you feel cooler. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that you choose a 36- to 44-inch fan for a room whose square footage is less than 225. If the room is larger, choose a fan that has a diameter of 56 inches. A room that’s longer than 18 feet may require two fans placed proportionately apart.
- Choose the mounting type. The fan works best if the blades are 7-9 feet above the floor. You may need an extension rod, depending on the ceiling plate.
- Examine your ceiling. Unless your home wasn’t built with blocked areas for ceiling fans, you may need professional help installing an anchoring system. Some ceilings are blocked to hold the weight and movement of a fan, but if yours isn’t, you’ll need to have it wired and strengthened to support the fan.
By installing the fans, you may be able to turn the thermostat up by as much as four degrees, taking a burden off the AC.
To learn more about ceiling fans and your cooling system, contact SSI. We provide top-notch HVAC services for homeowners in Orlando, Sandford, Deltona, Daytona Beach, Winter Park, Apopka, Altamonte Springs, Ormond Beach and Oviedo.
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