You Should Turn on Your Ceiling Fan Every Time You Use Your AC

A ceiling fan.

When temperatures soar, cranking your AC to the max might seem like the only way to beat the heat. But there’s actually a smarter strategy: Run your ceiling fan in tandem with your AC.

Working simultaneously, this combination can quickly produce a more comfortable, less frigid climate without jacking up your energy bill or putting more strain on your local power grid.

It’s a trick that’s so effective, it may seem a bit like magic.

And it kind of is.

Ceiling fans have no real effect on a room’s ambient temperature — they can’t change the number on a thermometer — but for anyone located beneath one, they can have a significant effect on how cool you feel.

While that effect can’t be objectively measured, the Department of Energy estimates that turning on a ceiling fan should allow you to raise your thermostat and adjust your AC by 4 degrees or so, depending on factors such as how much clothing you’re wearing, without sacrificing your comfort.

That, in turn, can help keep your energy bill in check. “Every time you turn on an air conditioner, you should have a fan on, [because] there will be substantial energy savings,” Stefano Schiavon, a professor of architecture and civil and environmental engineering at the University of California Berkeley, said in a video interview.

Keep reading to find out just how much you can save on your utility bill, and why many people prefer the feel of an AC-and-fan combo.



from Wirecutter: Reviews for the Real World https://ift.tt/WUwmsFa
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