Ceiling fans: Can they help you save on electrical bills?

You’ve probably heard it before: Running ceiling fans can cut your electricity bill, by allowing you to turn down your air conditioning (a major cost in the warmer months!). But can they really?

Can running ceiling fans really make a difference in the temperature of your home and why?

Everyone wants to save money, especially on electricity. So, what is the truth?

In a nutshell, running ceiling fans will not save you money on air conditioning. While a fan can certainly feel nice in the summer, and running one can help keep cool air generated by your air conditioner circulating in the room you are in, for the most part, they won’t make your home any cooler – meaning you’ll likely have to keep the air conditioning right where it is.

And that means, your electricity bills won’t go down.

So, why don’t they work? Ceiling fans do not cool the air like an air conditioner does. They cool YOU, meaning, they blow air on you, which if you are perspiring, will cool your skin. It does feel nice, but it’s not the same as air conditioners, which are made to keep your home’s air at a comfortable temperature.

If you are in the same room as the fan, you probably will feel cooler with it on. But if you aren’t there to get the benefit of that breeze, it isn’t keeping the room any cooler (it cools YOU not the ROOM).

Honestly, keeping ceiling fans on when you aren’t in the room can actually be costing you money, because they use electricity! So, folks who turn ceiling fans on in every room when they go out or when they are elsewhere in the home are actually spending more than they should in electricity costs.

If you want to save money, turn off fans when you aren’t in the room to enjoy the benefit.

And if you want to save money on air conditioning, it might be time to invest in a high-efficiency unit.

Quality Electric

If you have questions about your HVAC system, we’d love to chat. Call us today and let one of our expert electricians come out and do an inspection.