Save money, stay cool - why ceiling fans are air conditioners' best friends

Do you use your ceiling fans by themselves until it gets too hot and then turn on your air conditioner and turn the fans off?

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Do you use your ceiling fans by themselves until it gets too hot and then turn on your air conditioner and turn the fans off?

That's a mistake lots of people make and it's the wrong thing to do because using your air conditioner and ceiling fan in tandem can save you serious money.But to do that, you need to use them properly.Here's a few tips to do just that.

One directionFirst, make sure your fan is spinning in the right direction. Many fans are reversible so you can use them to help heat your home in winter.But for summer, fans need to turn in the right direction to actually cool you off.Don't worry about if that's clockwise or counter-clockwise, there's a simpler way. The fan should be pushing air down. You should be able to feel a breeze when standing directly under it. If you can't feel the breeze, turn off the fan and flip the switch that changes the direction of the blades. The switch is usually located on the base of the fan.

A matter of degreesNext, turn up the thermostat on your air conditioner. Yes, make it warmer.This step is important because if you only turn on your fan, you'll actually be using more energy (and spending more money) than you were without it.To be fair, it won't be a lot more as fans don't use a lot of energy, but every bit counts, right? So set your air con about 2 or 3 degrees warmer.Don't worry about feeling too warm. The breeze created by your fan should keep you comfortable. A leading international agency says that if you use air conditioning, a ceiling fan will allow you to raise the thermostat setting about 2°C with no reduction in comfort.And the savings on your power bill will speak for themselves. According to a leading Australia consumer website, the difference between running your air con set at 23° and 25° is 2 cents per hour less with a 2.5kW air conditioner and 7 cents less if it's a 6kW unit, based on 28.479c/kWh. It won't take long for that to add up.

Power downFinally, turn off fans in unoccupied rooms and when you leave the house.Remember, fans do not lower the temperature in your home, they make the air feel cooler. It's the same reason windy days feel colder than still days even if the temperature is the same (wind chill). So leaving fans on in rooms that have no one in them wastes money.

Three cheers for your ceiling fan

As you can see, the ceiling fan itself doesn't save you the money on air conditioning costs—the savings come from turning up your thermostat. (And every degree you can raise your thermostat saves you more money).But the ceiling fan enables you to remain comfortable while raising the thermostat. Yes, it's all about teamwork.As well, you can use your ceiling fans alone to keep that cool air moving when things have cooled off a bit and you shut down the air conditioners.Of course, if your rooms pick up a cooler breeze, say, in the afternoons, your fans will also help make the most of that cooler air circulating throughout your home. Think of it as giving nature a helping hand …At Lighting Illusions we can help you source the best fan for you needs with a style and price to match. Let our experts help you cool down more efficiently this summer and save you money too.

Originally published as Save money, stay cool - why ceiling fans are air conditioners' best friends