How a Fan Can Keep Your Home Cool

HThe weather is a major health threat, and this summer is on track to be even hotter than usual. Air conditioning is a lifesaver in these conditions, but much older technology could protect your safety, your budget and even the planet. Staying cool in the coming months can revolve around the blades of a refreshing fan.

“Fans are a great way to save money and energy,” says Nicole Miranda, senior researcher in sustainable cooling at the University of Oxford. While ACs work by cooling the air around them and making it less humid – an energy-intensive task – fans require much less electricity as they move air around your body to keep you cool.

To get the most out of these devices, it helps to experiment with different ways of using them. Every home is different, and comfort is subjective, says Patricia Fabian, a professor of environmental health at Boston University. “It’s not one size fits all.”

See how to best use a fan in your home.

Try more AC fans

If you have AC running, a worthwhile experiment is to adjust it for less cooling while turning on the fans. This approach can do wonders for your summer electricity bill. Plus, you may feel exactly as if the AC is on. Ollie Jay, professor of thermal physiology at the University of Sydney, points to to look for showing that people don’t notice any difference when fan cooling is combined with a less cold A/C, compared to A/Cs set to arctic blast on their own without fans.

“You would feel just as good in a room that is 80 degrees with fans as you would be in a room that is 72 degrees with air conditioning and no fans,” says Jay.

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Reducing ACs will ease pressure on the power grid, which means fewer blackouts. And it could help break a vicious cycle, Jay says, in which heat causes people to turn up their ACs, which generates carbon that results in a warmer climate globally – thus creating even more demand for AC. This escalation has already happened in recent decades, with the contribution of ACs to carbon emissions more than doubling.

“When it’s really hot, people need to use fans along with an air conditioner to make sure they’re safe, and still save money on their utility bills,” says Stefano Schiavon, professor of architecture and engineering at UC Berkeley. .

Choose fan favorites

When it comes to fan types, there’s no shortage of options, but many experts say the ceiling fan outperforms the competition—in terms of cooling, if not necessarily style. These fans push down a column of air that flows “through every surface of the body,” says Jay. They also help circulate warm, stagnant air stored in the upper parts of the ceiling. “They are very effective,” says Miranda, “although some are very 1970s.” Getting a ceiling fan doesn’t mean your house will To ensure your house doesn’t look like an episode of the Brady Bunch; Now they come in many, try these trendy looks.

Meanwhile, Schiavon studies ventilator types and finds few differences in effectiveness. “If you use full-size fans in your normal conditions, many provide more or less the same cooling effect,” he says. But he notes that ceiling fans may not work during a power outage, while some stand-alone fans run on batteries. Search for self-employed options with DC motors; they are affordable and more energy efficient than AC motors, says Schiavon. His team developed this free book with more guidance.

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You may feel more at ease if you aim the fans at the right points on your body, such as your torso, and personal fans worn around the neck can complement fixed fans, says Miranda. For maximum physical cooling, cover as much of your body with air flow as possible, especially the parts not covered by clothing, adds Schiavon.

Another consideration is fan speed. “When it’s too fast, it can dry out your eyes,” says Jay. You could wear goggles – no style tips for that – but there’s a point of diminishing returns where you won’t feel cooler despite higher speeds. This limit is usually the average setting on a typical pedestal fan, when it’s about three feet away, Jay says.

Window Ventilators to the Rescue

The heat can be fatal if ACs break down, which can happen when demand for electricity exceeds supply. Strong storms this spring and potentially record highs over the summer carry similar risks. Meanwhile, 12% of Americans lack of AC even when the electrical network is installed and working.

In these air-conditioned scenarios, your savior may be the option we trusted in the 1950s: the window fan. But it requires more strategy than just placing the fan in the window.

Time is an important consideration. You want to use a window fan when it’s cooler outside than inside, typically at night or early in the morning, says Pravin Bhiwapurkar, associate professor of architecture at the University of Cincinnati. The direction is also fundamental: the fan must face init then draws cooler air into your home and blows it toward you.

Try placing a separate window fan on the other side of your house as well, if there is a window there. This additional fan must face out, so it helps remove hot air from the home and increases overall airflow. The two fans will combine to create a relaxing cross breeze, explains Bhiwapurkar. (You wouldn’t want both window fans facing the house because that would increase air pressure and reduce cooling efficiency.) And you can put a third blower, like a box fan, on the floor to give that breeze a little more oomph.

Another trick is for houses with multiple floors: turn the window fan towards the inside of the house lowest story to bring in cooler air. The warmest part of this air will naturally rise to the top floor, so place a window fan there too—on the other side of the house, facing outward—to expel the heat. To aid the process, place independent fansthose that are able to tilt, at the lower levels, pointing upwards if possible.

Check air quality indexes and don’t use window fans if they’re sucking in smoke from rush-hour traffic or pollution from wildfires, for example. As the day goes on, outdoor heat will also exceed indoor temperatures. When this happens, try closing all the windows to keep cooler air inside and increase your arsenal of independent fans.

Try other non-AC fans

Strategies for expelling heat from the top floor can also work with other types of fans besides window fans, says Bhiwapurkar. When it’s warm outside—but not too hot—you can turn off the air conditioning, open a ground-floor window on the side the wind is blowing, and point your pedestal or tower fans to direct the airflow upward. Open a window on the top floor to let the heat escape as it rises.

These approaches work especially well when using windows on the side of the house that is colder, as the incoming air will be more refreshing. It’s usually the shadier side of your house, perhaps near some trees.

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In areas that don’t have many trees or other natural shade, try creating a space outside the window to get cooler air while supporting the work of indoor fans. When developing this space think green and blue; plants and running water help cool the air. “First of all, try to increase the greenery” outside your window, says Khaled Tarabieh, university architect and associate professor of sustainable design at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. If possible, install a fountain with running water outside this window, or fans that spray water there, creating a cool mist that acts as a heat buffer, adds Tarabieh.

Don’t fan the flames

If you don’t have air conditioning or it isn’t working, turn off fans when indoor and outdoor temperatures are extreme because they will simply blow hot air at you. According to the EPA, this limit is 90°F. O WHO says 95°F, while Jay thinks the threshold for ventilator use is even higher: 102°F for healthy people and 98°F for chronically ill seniors. In these scenarios, it may be worth seeking help from a local cooling center.

To experiment

Your indoor cooling strategy it should go beyond fans and air conditioning, including protecting sunny windows and hydrating yourself well with fluids. When it’s really hot inside (and out), wearing a wet shirt is also effective. “You can combine wet shirts with fans to optimize their effectiveness,” says Jay.

It’s good to experiment with how different home cooling approaches affect the thermometer, but individual characteristics are also important. Some people are more sensitive to heat stress, especially babies and older people, pregnant women or people with diabetes. “See what works best for you,” says Fabian.