Want To Feel Warmer Without Touching The Thermostat? Flip Your Ceiling Fan This Way
I think we have all laid on the couch under a blanket shivering while the furnace is running full blast. It is frustrating to pay for heat that does not seem to reach you. Sometimes, the problem is simple physics that we learned in school. Hot air is lighter than cold air so it naturally floats up to the highest point in the room. You are basically paying to heat your ceiling while your toes stay freezing on the floor. Luckily, there is an easy fix to get that hot air back down.
The Secret Is In The Spin Direction
Most people do not realize that their ceiling fans are designed to run in two different directions for a reason. In the summer you want the blades to push air straight down to create a breeze. But in the winter you need to reverse that flow. You want the blades to spin clockwise when you look up at them. This creates an updraft that gently pulls the cold air up from the floor and forces that trapped warm air out towards the walls and back down to you.
Finding The Hidden Switch
If you have never changed the direction of your fan you might not even know this switch exists. You usually need to get a step stool and look at the motor housing right above the blades. There is typically a small black toggle switch on the side. If it is down, just flip it up or slide it to the opposite side. It is a tiny adjustment that completely changes how the air moves through your space.
Modern Fans Might Use A Remote
If you climbed up there and could not find a switch, do not panic. Newer fans often have different technology. Grab your remote control and look for a button that has an icon of arrows spinning in a circle or says reverse on it. You might have to hold it down for a few seconds to get it to work. Watch the blades slow down and stop before they start spinning the other way to confirm that it worked.
The Speed Matters
This is the part where most people mess up and think that this hack doesn’t work. You absolutely must run the fan on the lowest possible speed setting. If you turn it up too high, you are going to create a wind chill effect that makes you feel colder no matter what direction the fan is spinning in. You want the air movement to be so gentle that you cannot really feel a breeze on your skin. Your fan should circulate the air calmly, not create a windstorm.
How To Test If You Did It Right
There is an easy way to verify that you have things set up correctly. Turn the fan on low and stand directly under it. You should not feel a breeze blowing down on you at all. If you feel air moving across your face, then the fan is either spinning the wrong way or moving too fast. You want the warm air to slide down the walls of the room and wrap around you without feeling drafty.
Saving Money On Monthly Bills
The best part about this trick is that it lets you give your furnace a break. Because the fan is pushing that wasted heat back down to eye level, the room will feel way warmer. This means you can walk over to your thermostat and drop the setting by a few degrees without noticing a difference in comfort. It saves you money all winter long just by flipping a switch.
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It is funny how we often overlook the simple tools we already have in our homes. We assume we need space heaters or more blankets when the solution is hanging right above our heads. Taking five minutes to grab a ladder and flip that switch can change the whole feeling of your living room. Give it a try this evening and enjoy actually feeling all that expensive heat you have been losing to the ceiling.
Bliss Donahue-Power
