Rotate Your Ceiling Fan Counterclockwise for Summer
My Siberian friend thinks the American obsession (his word) with ceiling fans is weird, but there are 124M American households and 80M of us have at least one. We can’t all be wrong.
Do you know which way your ceiling fan is turning right now?
Floridians pretty much keep their fans rotating the cool way all the time, but people across the nation stay warmer in the winter by changing the rotation of the blades when temps change.
In fact, the Department of Energy recommends using ceiling fans to keep central AC costs down. They say you can comfortably raise or lower the thermostat about 4°F with a fan going.
The trick is remembering to switch it over for the warmer months.
Which way should your ceiling fan turn?
SUMMER
Rotate your fan counterclockwise so the blades push the cool air down. The counterclockwise motion creates a “wind chill” effect. Generally speaking, outdoor fans should turn counterclockwise all the time. Also, fans on vaulted ceilings should be kept counterclockwise.
WINTER
Switch your fan to clockwise for the colder months. This will move the warm air down from the ceiling to you. You’ll also want to set the fan to low speed to prevent drafts and keep airflow consistent.
How do you change the way your ceiling fan turns?
There’s a little switch on the side of the fan, above the light but below the blades.
