Have you ever really thought about how you use your ceiling fans and air-conditioning? Or do you simply wait until the heat of the summer becomes all too much and turn off the fans in favour of the cool feeling of the aircon?

It is a bit more of a strategic decision that you might think, and in fact, using your air conditioner and ceiling fan together could save you some serious money.

But to maximise the savings and still feel cool and comfortable, you have to use them properly. It is also important to understand that a lot of the discomfort of a warm room comes from the stillness of the air, not necessarily the temperature.

Here are a few tips we have put together at Tradesmen on Time to help you: –

• Did you know your ceiling fans have two directional settings? So, first, make sure your fan is spinning the right direction! The fan needs to turn in the right direction to actually cool you. 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 check the flip switch that changes the direction of the blades. The switch is usually located on the base of the fan and is generally marked as W (winter) and S (summer) on the cowling.
• Next, turn UP the temperature of your air conditioning! 2 or 3 degrees increase should be enough. (air cons recommended operating temperature is 24 degrees)
• Don’t worry if you initially feel too warm. The breeze created by your fan will keep you comfortable.
• Don’t forget to turn off fans in unoccupied rooms.
• Keep doors and windows in air-conditioned areas closed! Just like the fridge doesn’t work so good with the door open, air-cons are “Sized” according to the room area and leaving windows and doors open increases power usage dramatically and reduces performance.
• Check to see if you have insulation in the ceiling! This can make a huge difference to the effectiveness of the air-con and your ceiling fans, even if you are not using them together. Think about the fridge analogy again, the idea is to keep the cold on the inside and the hot outside!

Remember that fans do NOT lower the temperature in your home, they simply make the air feel cooler by moving the air. They keep the air circulating and in turn cool you down.

As you can see, the ceiling fan itself doesn’t save you the money, the savings come from turning up your thermostat on your air conditioning, and every degree you can raise your thermostat will save you more money. The ceiling fan enables you to remain comfortable while raising the thermostat, therefore the two work together.