Why a fan helps in the winter
Warm air rises. When your heat runs, a lot of that warm air ends up sitting up by the ceiling, especially in rooms with high or vaulted ceilings, while your feet stay cold. A ceiling fan on the winter setting gently pushes that warm air back down into the room where you actually are.
The fan doesn't heat anything by itself. What it does is even out the temperature, so the room feels warmer at the same thermostat setting. ENERGY STAR and the Department of Energy both recommend running ceiling fans this way in the winter, and turning the fan off when nobody's in the room.
Once your fans are set for winter, try nudging the thermostat down a degree and see if you notice. If the room still feels comfortable, that's a little less work for your heating system all season.
Source: ENERGY STAR
Source: U.S. Department of Energy
How to switch it to winter mode
For winter, you want the blades turning clockwise, on low speed. Here's the quick way to set it:
- Turn the fan off at the wall switch or the remote, and wait until the blades stop completely.
- Find the small direction switch on the motor housing, right above the blades. Some newer fans do it from the remote or an app instead.
- Flip the switch, then turn the fan back on to low.
- Stand under it and look up. The blades should be moving clockwise, and you shouldn't feel a breeze. If you feel a cool draft, it's still on the summer setting.
Low speed matters. On high, even the winter direction will start to feel like a breeze, and that's the opposite of what you want.
Never reach for that switch while the fan is spinning. Turn it off, let it stop, and use a sturdy step stool, not a chair. While you're up there, wipe the dust off the tops of the blades so it doesn't get flung around the room.
Source: Hunter Fan
When to leave the fan alone
Flipping the direction switch is a simple homeowner job. A few things are not. If a fan wobbles hard, makes a grinding or clicking sound, sparks, smells hot, or the light flickers when it runs, turn it off and leave it off. A fan that's loose on its mount or has a wiring problem is a safety issue, and a new fan install or any wiring work is a job for a qualified electrician.
Also keep in mind that a fan only moves the heat you already have. If one room stays cold no matter what, the fan won't fix that. That usually points to an airflow problem, a blocked or closed vent, or a system that's not keeping up.
Walk the house and make sure every supply vent is open and not covered by furniture or rugs. If a room is still cold, give me a call at (470) 999-7395. A $79 diagnostic is how I track down why the heat isn't reaching it.
