It might be chilly right now, but before we know it, spring and then summer will be here, and with the season changes, warmer temperatures.
When the heat rises, many of us turn to ceiling fans. These underrated and under appreciated machines don’t tend to get so much acknowledgment for how much they can help in a home.
There are also lots of myths about them that continue to abound. Here are some that need busting ASAP.
1. Myth: Ceiling Fans Cool the Areas They’re In
One of the biggest misconceptions that does the rounds about ceiling fans is that they cool the areas they’re installed in.
Now, while using these appliances makes you feel less hot, they technically don’t cool a room because they don’t have any systems to remove thermal energy from the room.
What they do is move hot air around and blow air over our skin. They don’t change a room’s overall temperature, but they can help to even out the temperature in it by getting rid of pockets of warmer air.
Whenever moved air passes over your skin, thanks to ceiling fans, the insulating layer of warm air that was sitting against your skin gets taken away. The body responds by releasing more heat which is also blown away by the fan, and our bodies thus cool down.
You might expect a room to feel cooler if you turn your fan on and leave it for a bit while you go out or to another part of the home.
However, the benefit of ceiling fans comes from the wind chill that arises from them, so the cooling mechanism really only works in the presence of occupants.
An empty room won’t do much to make a space feel colder.
2. Myth: There’s No Point Using Fans in Conjunction with Air Conditioning
Air conditioning is something that will technically change the temperature of a room.
As such, most of us see ourselves as only ever needing to use either ceiling fans or AC and believe using both together would be a waste of money and resources.
This isn’t correct, though. The benefit of having both machines on at once is that they complement each other.
Air conditioning works by blowing cold air from vents located on the ceiling or high up (or sometimes low down) on a wall.
When you’re close to these ducts, the temperature change is more pronounced, and when you’re further away, it is less so.
However, running a ceiling fan simultaneously will help move the cool air flowing from the air conditioner throughout the room so it circulates more evenly.
If it’s a hot day and you want to cool down quickly, running both appliances at once should work nicely for you.
3. Myth: Fans Only Get Used in Summer
We generally only think of ceiling fans as being used in summer, but this isn’t the case.
Often, we can use fans in spring and fall, too, when it’s not hot enough to bother with turning on air conditioning, but the room feels a bit too hot, still, humid, and stifling.
Using fans at this time of the year will move the air and help us feel cooler, without going overboard and getting cold.
Also, you may not have thought about using ceiling fans in winter, but they can also be helpful then. Many of these products have reverse functions and can turn either clockwise or counterclockwise.
If you choose the clockwise setting, you can stay warmer in winter because the air will circulate and stop the heat from rising completely, so you don’t lose out on any of the warmth you’d like to use to stay cozy.
4. Myth: Ceiling Fans are Outdated or Ugly
There can be a bit of a stigma about ceiling fans, with many people feeling that they’re either outdated or ugly.
While fans often last well for many years or even decades, and thus you may have less-than-modern options in your home, you’ll notice if you search for new ceiling fans that your choices are many and varied, and they all look decidedly new and elegant.
Whether you want to shop for rustic ceiling fans or ultra-modern ones to suit a contemporary home, fans in a wood-look shade or colorful hues, or even those with in-built lights or a chandelier style, you’ll find options to suit all tastes and budgets.
There are designs to work nicely with any architectural or décor style without drawing more attention than you want. They look fine in any room of the home, too, and aren’t just functional but also stylish.
Other common myths to keep in mind are that all fans look the same, there’s no point using them in external areas (when there are plenty of options that can work for damp or wet conditions), and they’re too dangerous.
All of these ideas are incorrect, as is the misconception that fans are too expensive to run.
Why not go shopping for a new fan today, and test it out in your home? You’re sure to find that some of the myths you’ve heard over the years are well and truly incorrect.
