Question: Which Way Should the Ceiling Fan Rotate?
How should the ceiling fan rotate during summer and winter? Is your ceiling fan on the proper setting? It could save you energy dollars if it rotates correctly.
Answer: Ceiling fans provide great air circulation and you can optimize these benefits by ensuring the rotation of the blades is correct for circulating warm air or a cooling breeze.
During winter heating, to help circulate warm air that is trapped on the ceiling, blades should turn 'forward' in a clockwise motion. This movement will push up the air and pull the warm trapped air down the sides of the room improving heat distribution.
During hot summer weather, to help produce a comfortable breeze or 'windchill' that cools the skin, blades should rotate in a 'reverse' counter-clockwise motion. The air movement has the same comfortable effect as when you fan yourself with a magazine to get relief from hot, stifling air.
Ceiling fans in themselves do not heat or cool a room, but the air movement or circulation they effect by the correct blade rotation, can greatly improve the comfort of your living space.
You can also save in energy costs when the ceiling fan is on the correct setting to support your cooling or heating efforts.
How Test Was Conducted & Confirmed to Prove this Theory:
I tested 6 different fans to conclude what rotation was best for winter or summer. All fans had the same blade angle and the two settings operated the same way. A reader in Japan also conducted the following physical test and we compared notes. His fan blades had the same angle and we came to the same conclusion.
To further confirm proper fan seasonal rotation, I referred to information from one of the largest fan manufacturers, the Hunter Fan Company and came up with the same conclusion, based on their recommendation on how to de-stratify a warm room during winter. You can verify this information: Hunter Fan FAQ Item 7. In fact this site has the best information on buying and using ceiling fans.
How to Conduct Your Own Test
Since fan settings and blade angles are set by the manufacturer and these design features dictate how the fan operates, your fan could be designed to work opposite to the above settings. If your fan has instructions for summer/winter use, follow those guidelines.
But in the absence of product information as to what setting is best for summer or winter for your particular fan, follow my standard rotation recommendations for summer/winter, or conduct your own test:
On the first or forward setting, explore where the air movement is detected, then make a reference note as a reminder for seasonal change. Then try the second or reverse setting. These are the optimum setting effects:
In the summer, you want to feel the air circulating underneath and around the area reached by the fan. On a hot day, you would feel more comfortable and can detect air circulation on the right setting.
In winter, as hot air rises, it becomes trapped at the ceiling level. On the correct winter setting, the fan should push air up and draw that hot air down the side walls of the room. You would feel practically no air movement underneath and only a little air circulation closer to the walls. During summer this setting does not provide any comfort or enough air circulation to the room. But it does bring the hot air down to warm the cooler air closer to the floor.
During winter heating, to help circulate warm air that is trapped on the ceiling, blades should turn 'forward' in a clockwise motion. This movement will push up the air and pull the warm trapped air down the sides of the room improving heat distribution.
During hot summer weather, to help produce a comfortable breeze or 'windchill' that cools the skin, blades should rotate in a 'reverse' counter-clockwise motion. The air movement has the same comfortable effect as when you fan yourself with a magazine to get relief from hot, stifling air.
Ceiling fans in themselves do not heat or cool a room, but the air movement or circulation they effect by the correct blade rotation, can greatly improve the comfort of your living space.
You can also save in energy costs when the ceiling fan is on the correct setting to support your cooling or heating efforts.
How Test Was Conducted & Confirmed to Prove this Theory:
I tested 6 different fans to conclude what rotation was best for winter or summer. All fans had the same blade angle and the two settings operated the same way. A reader in Japan also conducted the following physical test and we compared notes. His fan blades had the same angle and we came to the same conclusion.
To further confirm proper fan seasonal rotation, I referred to information from one of the largest fan manufacturers, the Hunter Fan Company and came up with the same conclusion, based on their recommendation on how to de-stratify a warm room during winter. You can verify this information: Hunter Fan FAQ Item 7. In fact this site has the best information on buying and using ceiling fans.
How to Conduct Your Own Test
Since fan settings and blade angles are set by the manufacturer and these design features dictate how the fan operates, your fan could be designed to work opposite to the above settings. If your fan has instructions for summer/winter use, follow those guidelines.
But in the absence of product information as to what setting is best for summer or winter for your particular fan, follow my standard rotation recommendations for summer/winter, or conduct your own test:
On the first or forward setting, explore where the air movement is detected, then make a reference note as a reminder for seasonal change. Then try the second or reverse setting. These are the optimum setting effects:
In the summer, you want to feel the air circulating underneath and around the area reached by the fan. On a hot day, you would feel more comfortable and can detect air circulation on the right setting.
In winter, as hot air rises, it becomes trapped at the ceiling level. On the correct winter setting, the fan should push air up and draw that hot air down the side walls of the room. You would feel practically no air movement underneath and only a little air circulation closer to the walls. During summer this setting does not provide any comfort or enough air circulation to the room. But it does bring the hot air down to warm the cooler air closer to the floor.
