Ceiling fans can pull air up or push it down.
Which way should a ceiling fan blow air, up or down, to be most efficient? This is a common question of homeowners who aren't sure which way makes the most economical sense. The answer actually depends on the season. By following a few simple rules of thumb, homeowners can be assured of always pushing air in the most economical direction to ease the expense of heating or cooling the home.
Instructions
1. Determine if the air outside the home is warmer or cooler than the thermostat setting in your home. During warm summer months (when air outside the home is warmer than inside), the creation of a comfortable gentle breeze will cool the skin (due to the wind-chill factor). To create this effect, the ceiling fan blades should rotate in the "reverse" (counter-clockwise) direction, so that air is forced downward during fan operation.
2. Set your thermostat 2 degrees warmer than you would without the ceiling fan in the summertime, then be sure your ceiling fan blows air down toward room occupants. The wind-chill effect, in conjunction with the air conditioning, will dramatically improve the comfort of your living spaces that contain ceiling fans, and the higher thermostat setting should cut your cooling bill.
3. In cold weather, set your thermostat 2 degrees cooler than you would without the ceiling fan, then be sure your ceiling fan blows air upward, away from room occupants. This forces the cooler air (remember, warm air rises and cool air sinks) to be moved up toward the ceiling, thus forcing the warm air downward to replace it. The effect is that as air cools, it will be blown toward the ceiling, forcing the warm air down along the walls to the floor level again. This cycle of air replacement will improve the efficiency of your heating system or heat pump unit.
4. Measure the approximate ceiling height of the rooms that contain ceiling fans. If the ceilings are greater than 10 feet (vaulted ceiling) then a second option for cooling would be to adjust the ceiling fan blades so that they rotate in the "regular" (clockwise) direction. This will drive warm air upward, which will be replaced below by cool air coming from the air conditioning vents. Since warm air rises, the fans just assist the natural air movements.
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