There are a number of ways that you can cut down on energy usage around your Kansas City-area home, thereby reducing your energy bills. One way is by using your ceiling fans throughout the year. Using your ceiling fans during both cooling and heating seasons will not only help to decrease energy costs, it will also make your home more comfortable.

Ceiling fans in the summer

This may seem like a no-brainer to you. Using a ceiling fan during the summer helps to create a breeze inside your home that’s refreshing. It’s basically the wind-chill effect. But do you know why it’s saving energy? The cooling effect allows you to leave your thermostat a few degrees higher than you would normally set it during the summer. The resulting savings can really add up over the three or four months of cooling.

Ceiling fans in the winter

Ceiling fans have a similar effect in the wintertime. You’ll find a switch located on the fan housing of most ceiling fans. Flipping this switch will result in the blades rotating in the opposite direction (clockwise). The fan will begin pushing air up instead of down. This displaces the warm air produced by your heating system that collects near the ceiling, and moves that warm air down closer to where people can feel it. Basically, the ceiling fans are helping your heating system spread warm air quicker and more efficiently. With the complement to your heating  system, you can lower the thermostat by a few degrees without sacrificing comfort.

When used in conjunction with your heating and cooling systems, your ceiling fans will help to save on energy bills while enhancing home comfort. If you would like more information on saving energy in your greater Kansas City home, please contact us at Overland Park Heating & Cooling.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Overland Park, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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