Ceiling Fans in the summer

Jun 25, 2007 Published by Tony Primerano

I'm under the impression that ceiling fans in an air conditioned house in the summer will actually raise your cooling bill.

In all cases your taking hot air off the ceiling and mixing it with the cooler air below. Now instead of having 90 degree heat next to your 120 degree attic you are putting cooler air up there. This higher differential means that more heat is going to move from the attic to your living space.

So skip the fan and keep the heat on the ceiling where it belongs.

Also. I find that people obsess over the direction of their fan rotation but it makes almost no difference. "I'm pulling the cold air off the floor" they'll say. Yeah right. Your circulating the air in the room resulting in a fairly even temperature. Direction doesn't change the end result much. The only difference is if you want to feel the breeze.

  • A photo of Alan Alan says:
    2007-06-28 12:11:23 -0400

    I think ceiling fans lower my cooling bill. We have them in our upstairs bedrooms where it is always warmer than the rest of the house. Moving air makes you feel cooler so we don't have to run the A/C as much.

  • A photo of primerano primerano says:
    2007-06-30 17:58:05 -0400

    Yes the fan makes it feel cooler but I still think it ends up transferring more heat from the attic. Of course if the breeze is good enough to keep the AC off altogether you are better off with them on. :-)

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