Leaving home empty with ceiling fans on

[mm]

I was dog sitting for 12 days while friends went out of town.

I noticed that they had the AC on and ceiling fans in 3 rooms that were spinning. Is there any good reason to run the fans?

I would think the fans do nothing but blow the hot air near the ceiling down, so that the AC has to cool all the air in the room. When evrything they want to cool is no more than 4 feet high. Surely the top half of the walls won't be damaged if they are a few degrees hotter than the bottom half, right?

So the AC costs more, and the fans themselves use some electricty (I don't know how much). I don't to suggest to them that this is a bad idea if there is even one reason why it is a good reason.

P.S. A few years ago when I did this, I thought they left the AC on by accident, but the wife is very worried about her piano being damaged by hot weather. ?? My mother and then I have had a piano for 61 years, second hand when she bought it, and almost never used AC and almost never used a humidifier, and it's fine. But maybe it's a better piano than my friends have.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Ceiling fans can be reversed so they pull cooler air up from the floor, thereby making the temperature more even throughout the room. I use mine that way in two rooms, and it definitely feels better, especially since I tend to set the AC around 77-79. Perhaps that's what your friends are doing.

[trader4]

I've seen conflicting info on how fans are supposed to be run. Most seem to say that they should be blowing air directly down in the summer, so you feel the breeze, which is what gives you the cooling effect. That's how I have mine set up. If I run them the other way, there is no noticeable effect. With them blowing down there is a nice cooling effect.

In the winter, most places I've seen say they should run the opposite way, circulating air up in the middle of the room and moving the hot ceiling air back down near the walls, therby avoiding most of the breeze effect. However, I've never noticed any real benefit when trying this, so I gave up on the winter idea.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Maybe it depends on the shape of the room or something. In the kitchen, I ignore all the theories if I'm cooking in there, and crank it up high in the down direction. Who knows.....

[JimL]

It feels better, but increases your electric bill.

It is cheaper to leave the ceiling fans off.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

Using more electricity means a higher bill? I'm gonna need to see a few dozen web links which prove that theory.

[trader4]

I have to disagree with that. The fans use very little energy, less than a 100W bulb. And by having the breeze blowing, I can easily keep the AC set at least 2 deg higher than I would without it, meaning overall electricity usage is lower.

[Oren]

I use the Summer/ Winter rotation method. I have noticed the Winter method seems better, since I now have 10' ceilings.

Oren

[Oren]

Energy leaking windows, doors and lack of insulation will cost you more than running fans constantly . I run five ceiling fans year around. I also use two more outside under the patio.

Oren

[Larry Bud]

I think his point is that using a ceiling fan will cause the AC to run more since you're blowing the hot air down.

[PanHandler]

I also use two more outside under the patio.

Can you feel them from down there? :-)

[Oren]

When I rotate the fan blades from up to down .

Fix your quote button.

Oren

[mm]

I meant, Is there any good reason for my friends to run the fans when they are out of town? Sorry about that.

There was no one there. I can see now how it reads as if the dog was there -- sorry about that -=- but she's doesn't come up as high as the thermostat mounted on the wall.

[tj.palvino]

So it should be cooler at "dog height" then thermostat height, right??

T.J. Palvino

[tj.palvino]

So it should be cooler at "dog height" then thermostat height, right??

T.J. Palvino

[Rick Brandt]

Another good reason...

The blades on a spinning ceiling fan never look dirty. As soon as someone turns it off the wife wants me to clean the damn thing : )

[John‰]                      Â]

Think about this; regardless if you turn the blades forward, backward or upside down, a ceiling fan *cools* nothing. The air moving over your body makes you *feel* cooler, but it has no effect on the ambient air temperature in the room. I love a ceiling fan over my bed and use it every night, year-round because it makes me feel cooler and I find the quiet hum quite soothing. I also turn them on when I am in a particular room.

A ceiling fan running in an empty room is another story. Besides the electricity it consumes to cool nothing, the electric motor produces a small amount of heat. If you think about it, a ceiling fan running in an empty room is actually a heater.

[Mark Lloyd]

I'd have the fan turning in whichever direction feels best. If I can't tell the difference, I don't worry about it.

[Bawana]

[mm]

Yes, I think you're right. Another reason not to run the fans when no one taller is home.

(Originally they wanted me to leave the dog at their house and come over 3 times a day. It's only 4 minutes by car, but I was smart enough to say no to that.)