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Ceiling fans - just a waste of money?

June 6th, 2006

When I was in Houston, people used to swear by ceiling fans
as a way of beating the heat in summer and the cold in winter.

Now I see this article and the studies it cites,
and I may be reconsidering my opinion…..

Ceiling Fans…Blowing Your Money?

Ceiling Fans - Blowing Your Money?

by Andrew Rudin

The Interfaith Coalition on Energy (ICE) has always doubted
the energy effectiveness of ceiling fans during the heating season.

The theory says that warm air rises toward the sanctuary ceiling and that ceiling fans can force down the warm air to mix with cooler air at the pew level.
Therefore, the thermostat is satisfied sooner, and less heat is lost through the cooler ceiling area or holes to the attic.

ICE thinks that ceiling fans have a very low priority, relative to other energy conservation measures, and they may not save any energy at all.

Clock thermostats and changes in lighting are likely to make more economic sense. In fact, the use of ceiling fans during the heating season may increase the consumption of both heating energy and electricity.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 6th, 2006 at 12:55 am
and is filed under Tech Stuff, observations.

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3 Responses to “Ceiling fans - just a waste of money?”

  1. suzanne Says:
    June 6th, 2006 at 3:26 am


    See, down where I’m from, we swear by ceiling fans in homes because we don’t use the air conditioner. Plus, moving air around is a perk when you don’t have anything else moving it around.

    I’ve done the math for my current place, and I can run the ceiling fan to circulate the air (which makes me feel cooler) for 8.5 hours or I can run the AC @ 78Ëšf for 1 hour. Same price, same energy usage. I prefer the ceiling fan.

    Nothing worse than stagnant, sticky air.

  2. the Prince of Thrift Says:
    July 12th, 2006 at 4:40 am


    I also don’t have central air. My home this summer, and its been a cooler summer, was at 97-99 degrees, with 2 of the 3 ceiling fans…I put the window air in, in the one window it woill fit in, and the temp in the house lowered to between 85-89. Hoping by next year to have the money to have the central air installed.

  3. Frugal For Life » Blog Archive » Festival of Frugality Thirty Says:
    December 3rd, 2007 at 12:24 am


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