August heat makes me remember Atlanta summers of my childhood.. Long ago are the days of attic fans in old homes which were a welcome sound when little ones were struggling to get to sleep in the dog days of summer. Hearing the panels open and the strong pull of air throughout the house, and feeling the rush of air over you is hard to forget.
Today, while most homes have both air conditioning and ceiling fans, some folks elect not to use their ceiling fans because they may think it’s a waste to run both the AC and the fans, but actually it is a major cost saver to do so! First, moving air actually makes you feel cooler by speeding up both evaporation and convection. As you sweat or simply perspire, moving air helps speed up evaporation which is also pulling heat from your body. Convection is when the air around your body is cooler than your body temperature.. and as your body cools itself by passing heat to the air around you, that air then becomes warmer but a fan moving that air away from you replaces it with cooler AC air, making you cooler. So even though a ceiling fan may not lower the temperature in your home, it can help you stay cooler without lowering the thermostat.. saving you money! As far as efficiency goes, a typical 3-ton air conditioner runs at a cost of about $0.36 per hour while a ceiling fan at medium speed can run for 3 hours before the energy costs add up to one penny!
Even in the winter, ceiling fans can help move the warm air more efficiently. So if you want to upgrade your ceiling fan for minimal dollars to a beautiful new look, or if you don’t have a ceiling fan now but have a central light in your room, that’s all you need for a simple switch to a fan that can make a fabulous difference starting now! THIS is one of our favorites or you can go shopping and see what’s out there – have fun!