How Do Ceiling Fans Help your Air Conditioner in Summer?

Using ceiling fans to cool your house, either in conjunction with your air conditioner or on their own, can significantly reduce energy costs in between 10% to 40%; and during moderately hot weather, they can help cool your home without having to use an air conditioner at all.

Ceiling Fans in Los Angeles

Los Angeles experiences a hot and humid climate with many local atmospheric variations (known as microclimates). Thanks to the June Gloom that will last till October our air conditioners are really put to the test and everyone needs a cost-effective method of reducing energy bills during the summers. This is where a ceiling fan can help.

Ceiling Fans Disperse ‘Heat Envelopes’

Our body dissipates heat by means of perspiration but during the process, our body gradually becomes surrounded by small heat envelopes. These heat envelopes are high in moisture content and prevent our body from further perspiration raising our thermal levels and hence making it uncomfortable. A ceiling fan continuously sends breezes that push these heat envelopes away from our body hence increasing our body’s natural process of controlling its temperature.

An air conditioner cannot generate such breezes, as its primary task is to extract heat energy and moisture from the air. A ceiling fan increases the efficiency of your air conditioner by making these pockets of heat flow throughout your home.

Ceiling Fans Decrease Room Temperature by 4 Degrees

Ceiling fans circulate air through a room by generating air breezes. In conjunction with the cool air supplied by the air conditioner, ceiling fans create an internal wind chill effect. This causes the cool air to have a lower temperature and hence decrease the ambient temperature of a human body faster. According to the US Department of Energy, a ceiling fan can decrease the room temperature by an additional 4 degrees. This means that your air conditioner will be providing you a 4-degree cooler environment without having to exert any extra work (and hence consume more energy). If the climate is only moderately warm, a ceiling fan will allow you to keep yourself cool without having to rely on the air conditioner.

Ceiling Fans Cool the Environment Faster

Using a ceiling fan together with your AC will significantly reduce the time required to achieve desired levels of thermal comfort. The ceiling fan will displace heat packets all over the house and make it easier to circulate the air through the air ducts where it can easily be conditioned. A ceiling fan allows for a faster circulation of air through the HVAC and hence a shorter period is needed to cool the environment as compared to just using your AC.

Fan Your Home

A ceiling fan will not only reduce the time required to achieve your desired thermal comfort, it will also increase the efficiency of your HVAC, making it easier to keep cool throughout this summer.

This article was provided by American AC Heat Plumbing. Since 1981, American Air has been providing professional air conditioning and heating service and repair. Check out their $99 tune-up special – good for your air conditioner or furnace!