Although ceiling fans have always been a way to cool down a room, the fans designed today are truly beneficial when it comes to saving energy for both the summer and winter. In fact, ceiling fans are considered one of the most popular options of all home energy efficiency features.
During the summertime, a ceiling fan can cut the energy bill by as much as 20% and in the wintertime, as much as 10%. That means while you are enjoying a great looking light fixture and cool or warm room, you are also cutting back on the bills. For this reason, many home improvement stores are now selling all types of fans to meet customer demand.
Even homebuilders are realizing the benefits of the ceiling fan and installing them in just about every room of the home. A recent study performed by The Florida Solar Energy Center determined that ceiling fans are substantial energy users. At one time, it was thought that ceiling fans required a lot of juice to power them; but this has been changed.
The reason is that the number of ceiling fans is climbing dramatically rather than falling and the bills are the proof in the pudding. The south part of the country has more ceiling fans than any other area, with the highest hours of usage per fan but the energy costs have not increased, they have decreased.
Other studies show that homes today have an average of 1.5 fans. This means that nationwide, there are 153 million ceiling fans in use. Considering the average use of a ceiling fan motor is 6.2 hours per day and that lighting 3.3 hours per day, that means that using the fan to cool a room when it is hot or to warm a room in the winter, the cost for that usage will be reduced.
On a national averages, ceiling fans account for as much as 5% of the current residential use! If the fan is used efficiently, there is tremendous potential to save on energy bills. These savings would come from choosing a fan with an energy-efficient motor, proper blade that has the best aerodynamics, lighting that is energy-efficient, intelligent controls, and so on.
Now you can enjoy your ceiling fan, live comfortably with great lighting, and pay less. The most important aspect of buying a ceiling fan is the motor, considering that the motors today waste between 80 and 90% of their electricity as heat.
For this reason, you need to ensure the motor is top quality, energy efficient, and large enough to operate the size of room for the number of hours you plan to use the fan. You could easily double or triple the motor efficiency simply by increasing typical motor cost, which runs on average only $8!
When you have the right size motor, you can increase the airflow by as much as 40%. Another key is to replace flat blades with curved blades for better air movement. Finally, using compact fluorescent lamps will also help your fan be more energy efficient.
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