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Air movement created by a fan can make a room seem cooler
by four degrees or more. When used in air-conditioned spaces, ceiling
fans allow you to set your thermostat at a higher-than-normal setting
that will save some energy. Keep in mind that fans use less electricity
than air conditioners do. Ceiling fans move air around the room, but they do not draw in air from
outside like a window fan will do.
Ceiling fans need a minimum height of seven feet, and manufacturers
recommend installing a fan eight to nine feet above the floor for best
cooling. Models with at least three speeds and reversible motors are the most
effective.
Hunter Fan Company, a leading manufacturer, suggests using a 32-inch fan
for rooms up to 64 square feet; a 42-inch fan for rooms up to 144 square feet;
a 44-inch fan for rooms up to 225 square feet; and a 52-inch fan for rooms up
to 400 square feet.
It has long been thought that ceiling fans, running in reverse in the
winter, will draw air up to the ceiling and force warm air that has risen
there back down into the room. The June 1993 issue of Consumer Reports,
however, said that the cooling effect of the fan counteracted any comfort
benefits from the redistribution of warm air.
-- adapted from the newspaper column Home Improvement
by Gene Austin
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