While I’ve always been aware that heat naturally rises, I didn’t realize what a big problem this could cause in my home.
Living in the northeastern part of the country, we deal with extremely long, cold winters and very hot and humid summers.
The cost of heating and cooling makes up about half of household energy consumption. The air conditioner and furnace carry a demanding workload, and I take every precaution to eliminate energy waste. When I climbed up on a ladder to replace a lightbulb, I noticed that the temperature near the ceiling was several degrees higher than near the floor. This was in the middle of January, when the outside temperature was down to eighteen degrees and the furnace was operating just about non stop. I was paying very high natural gas bills and the heat was rising straight up to the ceiling. I did a bit of research and decided to install ceiling fans. There is a nearly unlimited selection of styles, sizes and prices available, and the installation process is not all that difficult. My husband and I installed ceiling fans into all of the bedrooms as well as the living room, dining room and kitchen. In the winter, with the fans circulating and pushing the heat back toward the floor, I’ve been able to significantly lower the thermostat setting. The home feels warmer and more comfortable and yet I spend less every month. During the summer, we reverse the rotation of the fan blades to push the heat upward. This makes the rooms feel cooler at a higher thermostat setting and reduces demands on the air conditioner. Plus, the circulation of air prevents that stuffy feeling.