As a child, I must have driven my parents crazy. And I am still doing it, but now to my husband. I can’t help it. I want to know the “Why?!” about everything. Take ceiling fan direction for example. Most residential ceiling fans have a switch with two options. “Forward” spins one way, “Reverse” the other. But why? What for? What difference does it make?
Years ago, a reader sent in her handy tip, passed along from her husband, a heating and air conditioning specialist: “In the winter, make your ceiling fans spin counterclockwise.” Or was that clockwise? To be honest, it totally slipped my mind as soon as I shared it with my readers.
But I do recall the barrage of responses I received. Some thanked me for printing the correct answer to the burning question, while others told me I was wrong and it should spin in the opposite direction. But why?! Who makes up these rules? Does anyone know for certain?
The Science
To make this easy, first we need to understand the principle behind moving air. You may be familiar with the terms “wind chill” and “heat index.” These terms indicate what the temperature feels like, not what it is in reality on the thermometer.Ceiling fans cannot reduce the temperature inside your home in the summer, but they can certainly make you feel like they do. Ditto for making you feel warmer in the winter. A ceiling fan that is set properly can make you feel as if the temperature is either cooler or warmer.
It is important to know how to use fans in summer to send a rush of air downward because it cools your skin and makes it seem up to eight degrees cooler than it is, lowering the chill factor.
The Direction
The direction your ceiling fan should spin in the summer and the winter depends on the type of fan you have and at which angle the blades have been set by the manufacturer (or by you, if you altered them). Even so, this is not difficult. In fact, once you know a simple trick and way to test how your ceiling fan is designed, ceiling fan direction will cease being a mystery.First, look to see whether there is a switch marked “Forward” and “Reverse.” If so, and you are sure the blades are angled properly, you want the fan to spin forward during the summer and reverse in the winter.
Set on forward, the fan blows air downward onto the occupants of the room, making them feel cooler by increasing evaporative cooling of the skin. Most people know sweating is a process your body uses to cool down. Your body is always trying to maintain an even body temperature. Sweating reduces body heat through evaporative cooling.
During the winter, you do not want the fan to blow directly on you. You want to set the fan to reverse so it blows air upward to the ceiling, forcing the hot air trapped up there to come down and warm the occupants of the room. And you want to set it on a slow speed to make sure you are not creating a draft.
But which way?
The Solution
Are you all mixed up now? Not to worry. Here’s a super easy way to remember which way to set a ceiling fan for the season.Set the fan to high so it is spinning at its top speed, and stand under it. Do you feel the air blowing down on you? Then that is your forward direction and the setting you want for summer. Make a note. Set it on high speed for the greatest cooling effect.
Now switch the fan to go the other direction. If you do not feel air blowing down on you, that means it’s blowing upward. That is your reverse direction. This is the direction you want for winter. To use the ceiling fan in reverse, set it on slow to make sure you are moving the warm air down from the ceiling and into the room but not creating a draft.
Be diligent to make sure your ceiling fan is working for you, and you could save 15 percent to 40 percent on your summer air conditioning costs and reduce next winter’s heating bills.
