You're probably thinking, "What? I thought ceiling fans were for the warm weather." Well, you would be correct. But they're perhaps more important in cold weather. Want to know why? Read on. And, go here for detailed instructions on how to install a ceiling fan.
Most homes have the air registers from the ductwork above the ceiling. In the summertime, the air conditioned (cold) air is blown out of the registers and begins traveling down. Sure it is being blown, but do you remember the old lesson you learned in school?
That's right! Warm air rises and cooler air drops. Of course it tends to blend so the air conditioner works harder to keep the air about shoulder-high at the right temperature. (That's the level where your thermostat does its sensing job.)
Enter the ceiling fan. It blows the cool air down faster, giving it less time to absorb heat from the air traveling up!
So when the central heater is running, that warm air wants to stay at the ceiling. Now how hard does the heater have to work to make the hot air do what physics explicitly tells it not to do?
The answer? A ceiling fan with a reversible motor. That's right. In the winter, reverse the motor so that the air is forced to the ceiling, is pushed to the walls, down the walls to the floor where the updraft rises again. The heater has just had a load taken off it.
Fortunately, installing a ceiling fan is a good project for a DIY type of homeowner. The best brands? Look for a Hunter ceiling fan, Hampton Bay ceiling fan, Casablanca ceiling fan, Emerson ceiling fan, or a Harbor Breeze ceiling fan.
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