Ceiling Fans?

Question

We talk about how much energy our lights use, but what about ceiling fans? Some people keep them running day and night, so how can we be more efficient with them?

Answer 1

Ceiling fans use a great deal less electricity than air conditioners do and can frequently make you feel just as comforable. In the wintertime, they can be set to move warm air from the ceiling to where the people are, saving energy then, as well.

Answer 2

Ya know I think there could be times and applications where you could save energy with the redist. of heat / cooled air.  But, I fear that most fans are cheaply made and not very energy efficient.  They are mostly made to fill the otherwise void in the market for "low cost" fans from Wally World type stores, to make us feel more comfortable.  Just lower the thermostat. and lower the ceilings in the next house you build (an old idea that's new again) and you'll truly save.

Answer 3

in fact, a good ceiling fan won't use much more energy than a compact fluorescent light bulb.

and, particularly if it's a high room, it redistributes heat so it doesn't take as much to heat the room.

on balance, it saves far more energy than it uses.

if the thermostat is on at night, the fan probably ought to be on also  --  to save energy.

Answer 4

Ceiling fans can circulate air so you can keep your A/C from running so much in the summer.  

I found an answer that said that using ceiling fans uses more energy, especially if you run them 13 - 14 hours a day because they don't really permit you to use less A/C.

My suggestion is to keep lights off in rooms you aren't using and to run ceiling fans only when you are in the room.  Run them for comfort, not to save energy.

Our upstairs is hot, winter and summer.  I run the fan to cool down and then turn it off.  If it is especially hot, I may run it on low while I sleep.  There is no advantage to me to run it if I'm not in the room.