Using Fans Can Help Save Energy Year Round
A well-tuned and properly maintained HVAC system can be counted on to deliver heating or cooling at the lowest possible cost. However, no matter how efficient your furnace, air conditioner, or heat pump, its performance can be improved by using fans to increase ventilation, air circulation, and movement of conditioned air. Fans can not only boost HVAC function, they can also help create indoor conditions that will lower your monthly energy expenses and reduce the amount of energy you use throughout your commercial building.
Use fans for air circulation and humidity control: Commercial-grade Fans can help maintain consistent, comfortable temperatures inside your building while also increasing air circulation and removing excess humidity. Whole-structure ventilators or used in an attic or upstairs space can remove hot air and replace it with fresher, cooler outdoor air that puts less stress on your air conditioner. Fans can also help remove humidity and moisture in the air, which will cut down on energy use from dehumidifiers or air conditioners. Less-humid indoor air is also more comfortable. Using fans to help maintain an indoor relative humidity level between 30 and 50 percent will increase indoor comfort significantly.
Use fans to reduce the need for air conditioning: Fans can be significant sources of cooling, which means using one or more can reduce the need for air conditioning. If your air conditioner operates less, energy and money savings will naturally result. Keep in mind that fans to not cool spaces like an air conditioner. Instead, they cool you only when the airflow makes contact with your body, cooling you directly. To get the best results from using fans for cooling, direct the airflow so that it will make constant, direct contact with individuals working inside your building. Fans allow you to run your cooling system at a higher temperature and still feel comfortable while using less energy.
Use fans to equalize indoor and outdoor temperatures: There are times when outdoor temperatures will be preferable to the temperature inside your building. This often happens during transitional seasons, or when temperatures drop significantly at night. Your building will still contain heat that was accumulated during the day, making your indoor spaces warmer than the outside temperatures. Large freestanding fans, commercial-grade ventilation fans in the walls, or comprehensive whole-structure ventilation systems can keep air moving and bring in cooler outdoor air to improve indoor conditions.
Use ceiling fans in both summer and winter: It may seem illogical, but ceiling fans can boost indoor comfort and trim energy costs in both summer and winter. In the summer, a ceiling fan will generate downdrafts that cool you like the airflow from a standard room fan. Downward-moving air improves indoor air circulation and helps move around any cool air that has accumulated at the floor level. Large commercial-style ceiling fans are often used in warehouses, garages, and large open work areas to increase cooling.
For these reasons, air conditioner use can be reduced to save energy while still maintaining a high level of indoor comfort. During the winter, it might seem that using a ceiling fan is not a good idea. However, most ceiling fans should have switches that reverse the direction the fan blades turn. This will create updrafts that moves air toward the ceiling. This air flow will recirculate warm air that has risen to the upper areas of the room, dispersing it so that it flows back down into the room to give off more of the heat it contains. The cycle of rising and redistributed air will continue as more heated air enters the space.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial and Residential settings. For more information on how fans can help with energy savings, indoor air quality, and overall indoor comfort all year long, and to view projects we’ve worked on, visit our website!
