Even ceiling fans can be made more energy efficient.

Energy conservation is a trendy word these days, and much is being done in order to cut down on consumption in the average home. Changing to new eco friendly light bulbs and turning down the thermostat a notch during the winter months are given changes, but there are many small things that you probably haven’t thought about (me neither). Do you have energy efficient ceiling fans for example?

Isn’t that question a bit redundant, I hear you ask. Because after all, a ceiling fan is meant to be an energy-saving device in itself is it not? For one thing, it takes less electricity to operate than that employed by an air conditioner. It can help in reducing heating costs for a room in winter, by pushing hotter air down from the ceiling and into the living area. In a similar way, while it might not lower precise room temperature in summer, it does circulate the air, permitting enough of a breeze that those in the room get some refreshing cool air.

So isn’t that your energy saving right there? Basically, it is definitely possible to save still more, so that even the ceiling fan itself runs more effectively in its own right. The ENERGY STAR system of factors for energy potency, used both in Canada and the U. S. , has been applied to the design and performance of ceiling fans, just as it has got to appliances and other devices that use electricity.

During the past few years, many enhancements have been made in ceiling fan design, these changes being applied to everything from the way in which the motor is put together to the shape and materials of the blades. Those fans that qualify for the ENERGY STAR rating work smoother, consume less energy, and yet give better performance. In the opinion of some folks, they use up to fifty percent less electricity than the standard fans, but still frequently circulate as much as 25% more air.

If they used only as much electricity as a regular light bulb before, as some have said, think how tiny is utilized by the energy-efficient fans!

And speaking of light bulbs…

Any ceiling fan can come with a light fitting as well as the revolving blades, and even here, enhancements have been made. In the same way that compact fluorescent light bulbs (or CFLs) can replace traditional bulbs in other lamps, they can be employed in ceiling fan lights as well. There are now fan units that are fully ENERGY STAR qualified, from the operation of the motor and blades themselves, all the way down to the attached lighting system. Or if you need to add a light fitting to a fan that doesn’t have one, even some individual light kits are now qualified.

The sole thing you’d need to check is whether your fan uses a dimmer, because not every CFL is intended to be used with one. And if you just substitute a CFL for the prior traditional bulb, you will find the way the light generates from it’s a bit different.

The first bulb coverings were likely built to reflect the more diffused light pattern of incandescents. If you are purchasing a new fan, it would just be better to get one that’s expressly designed to be used with CFLs to start with, and you will not have to make allowances for these differences.

The CFL bulbs will add just that much more energy saving to your use of the fan. Not only do they themselves use less electricity than older-style bulbs, but you will not have to replace them as frequently that will cut back the consumption of stuff like packaging too. It’s tough to imagine, isn’t it, that there may be so much energy saving from only one fan? But as folk in society move toward more efficient solutions and overall do a great deal to improve energy conservation, even something as tiny as a ceiling fan can add to the total effect.

And to top things off, you will get better service from it. It’s a win-win situation.

Photo credit: Wonderlane