As many of our readers have learned, at the ranch we recently took out the wall between the living room and the dining room in an effort to help circulate heat throughout the house, rather than allow it to get confined in the living room with the fireplace.One big step to helping get the heat to circulate properly, limit the amount of wood we burn and lessen the heat that comes through the events, was to use the ceiling fan effectively. Ceiling fans are great for the house and conserving energy because it allows the heat the circulate during the winter, rather than get trapped on the roof (hot air rises), as well as help cool down the room in the summer by spreading around the cold air.
Currently we only have one ceiling fan installed in the house, but more will come elsewhere in the house as we work to make the home much more energy efficient. This is something easy we can all do, and most ceiling fans look great in any room of the house.
Yes, the ceiling fan does use energy but it is minuscule compared with how much energy you save by not having to turn up the heat or burn as much wood. Naturally, when you are not in the room, don't have the ceiling fan going.
Installing a ceiling fan is even part of CBC's One Million Acts of Green, where they give these facts:
- Ceiling fans can cool your house by a few degrees or more during summer months.
- Fans cost much less than air conditioners to run.
- They help keep your home cooler in the summer and help warm it in the winter.
"A ceiling fan can reduce your household’s energy consumption by decreasing the use of an air conditioner. And they’re not just for the summer either. Using a ceiling fan in the winter displaces hot air that rises with cooler air from the room’s lower levels. Plus, remember how cool that shot of the ceiling fan looked in ‘Apocalypse Now?’"
**photo courtesy of CBC One Million Acts of Green**
