how do ceiling fans work?
Both indoor and outdoor ceiling fans are made of solid word or laminated veneer in a variety of finishes such as natural white, cherry wood, oak, walnut and faux granite. Other fans, such as Hunter ceiling fans, are available in cloth fabrics that are stretched over a frame. Typical fans have 3 to 5 blades, which impact the amount of cooling or warming produced by each fan. Ceiling fans themselves are not cooling devices. In fact, even if you place a thermometer in the room, the temperature will not decrease by more than one or two degrees. However, fan blades move and circulate the air in a room, resulting in a cool light breeze that feels as though you’ve significantly decreased temperature in the room. Ceiling fans create a wind chill effect through the breeze it creates, pulling perspiration away from your body, lowering your body temperature and ultimately making the room feel cooler.
Ceiling fans create a gentle downdraft that circulates the otherwise stagnant indoor air. This effectively mixes areas of warm and cool air together to create an even level of air conditioning. This is important in homes set on a single thermostat, as the temperature will become increasingly cool or warm as you travel away from the home’s center. Because of your internal body heat, you are continually surrounded by a cloud of warmer air. Ceiling fans cool you off by blowing this warm air away from your body. The draft also wicks subtle amounts of warm moisture from your skin, allowing you to stay cool in warmer temperatures. This wind chill effect can make your home feel up to 5° cooler than your thermostat setting. Ideally, running a ceiling fan in a home cooled to 78° would give you the same effect as setting your thermostat to 73°, but with 20% less energy consumption.
