If you think your ceiling fan is only worth turning on in the summer months, think again. There are actually two directions the blades on the fan can spin, each one circulating air in an entirely different way, with major impacts on your home’s comfort. By helping maintain warmer temperatures in the winter and cooler ones in the summer, ceiling fans also save you big on energy costs.
Our team in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab explains how this simple tip can be implemented at home for a warmer (or cooler) space, depending on the season.
Which way should your fan spin for each season?
If you're hoping to keep your house warm for the winter, you'll want to make sure your fan is spinning clockwise. This will push warm air that’s rising to the ceiling back down into the room, making the space more cozy. Come summer, set the blades to spin counterclockwise to cool the room.
How do you switch between settings?
If your ceiling fan is remote-control-operated, there should be a button that allows you to change the direction of the fan. Oftentimes, it looks like a reverse symbol, or a circle with revolving arrows.
Conventional ceiling fans typically have a physical switch that's located in the middle of the fan near the pull string and lightbulb. Flip it either up or down to change the direction of the fan's blades.
Tip: If you have a conventional ceiling fan, make sure to turn the fan completely off before hitting the switch.
How your fan helps you save money
While you'll still need to turn on your heat or air conditioning depending on the season, your ceiling fan can help lessen energy costs by functioning as a helpful heating or cooling tool.
In the colder months, your ceiling fan (when spinning in the clockwise direction) will push rising warm air back down so you won't need to run the heat as much. When you switch the fan's direction in the warmer months, it'll circulate air, cooling you down and in turn reducing your desire to crank up the AC.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, adjusting your thermostat by around seven degrees during the day could trim your heating and cooling costs by as much as 10% throughout the year. That works out to a couple of hundred dollars’ worth of savings for the average homeowner.
Having written thousands of product reviews and how-to articles on all aspects of home ownership, from routine maintenance to major renovations, Dan (he/him) brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his role as the director of the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. A one-time roofer and a serial remodeler, Dan can often be found keeping house at his restored Brooklyn brownstone, where he lives with his wife and kids.
