Q&A: Which direction should the blades on my ceiling fan rotate?

My ceiling fan has a switch that reverses the direction the blades rotate. How do I know which direction to run the fan during warm- and cold-weather months?

During warm weather, you should run the fan so that the breeze blows downward. This wind-chill effect—the same cool breeze you feel when you roll down the window in a moving car—will cool you.

Many ceiling-fan manufacturers and various Web sites out there suggest that you run the ceiling fan so that it blows in the opposite direction—upward—when the weather is cold and the heat is on in your home. The idea is that the fan mixes the warm air collecting at the ceiling and moves it back down to the perimeter of room, creating a higher average room temperature and less need for heat. (All of the ceiling fans we recently tested have a switch that you flip to reverse the motion of the blade.)

 

But in our past tests, we found that the draft caused by the fan can have a chilling effect on people in a room—and lead to higher thermostat settings and more energy use. So we recommend that you not bother to reverse the motion of your fan—just leave it off during heating season. Note that there might be some situations where reverse operation would be be beneficial, such as in a room with a wood stove running or a very high vaulted ceiling.

If you’re looking to lower your energy bills during cooling season, use ceiling fans and turn off your air conditioning or turn up the temperature on your A/C a few degrees and let the fan go to work. Remember that ceiling fans cool you and not the space you’re in, so turn them off when you leave the room for an extended time so as to not waste electricity.

When shopping for a ceiling fan, you’ll find old-style models that conjure memories of Bogart and Bergman in Casablanca and versions that are modern twists on an invention that first appeared in the U.S. in the 1860s. In our latest report on ceiling fans, we found that while the pricier fans did have fancier finishes, they didn’t necessarily provide better performance. What’s more, most fans performed similarly in our air-movement tests.

Essential information: See our advice on staying cool this summer without cranking up the A/C, and share your tips for keeping comfortable, in our forums.

Comments

[Cornell]

I have found that having the ceiling fan blow downwards to create a wind-chill effect is valid when I'm underneath the fan. However, I have found that if I'm on the periphery, particularly when I'm not close to being under the ceiling fan, having the fan blow upwards is more effective so that the air bounces off the ceiling and walls to create a wind-chill effect. When doing this, I find that I need to increase the fan speed by one setting.

[cool breeze]

its just the opposite,counter clockwise pushes the air down!Thats from living 10 yrs in the caribbean.....Best

[Michael Kaply]

Clockwise looking up at the fan? Or clockwise looking from the top?

[Michael]

All four ceiling fans in our home are the reverse of this advice -- counterclockwise produces a downward breeze for the summer setting, whereas clockwise produces an upward breeze (and not much of one since they're mounted close to the ceiling). That would also be true of the fan pictured on this page, since it depends on the angle of the fan blades.

[Jenny Lucas]

I have a lot of overhead fluorescent lights. Growing up, we always turned lights off when we left a room. Someone told me that overhead fluorescent lights take more energy to turn on, off, and on again. If you are going to be going back into the room several times in a few hours or so, that you should just leave it on, that would save energy. Is this true, or should I just treat them the same as regular light bulbs?

[JimmyDaGeek]

I guess the fan pictured above is not one of those tested as the angle of the blade shows this one turns counter-clockwise to blow down.

[Cathy]

Is it prudent to install a ceiling fan in a stairwell to bring cold air from the basement to upper floor (and vise versa)?

[Mark]

Unfortunately, there is no direct answer to find out what is forward and reverse, because it depends on the manufacturer.

The only way is to test your fan. Here is how to do it:

Standing directly below your fan, try both ways at high setting. If you feel a breeze, this is the "summer setting". In the winter, you will not feel any air being blowned to you since it will be pulled up to the ceiling.

You could also look at the angle of the blades, or take a look at the link given here... http://www.ceiling-fan-wizard.com/ceiling-fan-direction.html

[Ron]

I have 9 Ft. ceilings. I have always been told to run fans on low setting in the winter opposite of direction in summer. Reason being all of the warm air rises to ceiling. So I run my fans counterclockwise in summer,(on higher speed), and clockwise in winter,(on lowest speed). Does anyone have a suggestion or reason why I shouldn't do it this way?

[Angela]

Bought some palm ceiling fan blades from wamhomecenter.com (actually fanimation is the manufac) and once installed the fan seems to be useless now. Does not move the air well at all. If I put the fan on high the blades are so light they flip up toward the ceiling. Waste of about $65. Found some others that are like $120 that simply slide over the existing blade. Might try those. wamhomecenter.com nor fanimation would return my money. Non returnable product they said. Seems like they should have posted something that says "If you value the air moving from your fan, dont install these, they are just for looks". They do look very pretty but not practical. Very frustrating. Guess they got me.

[Adam]

Very informative. I still read articles that state we should reverse the fan direction in the winter to spread the heat around. Thanks for doing actual studies to disprove this. One thing I wanted to add is I have found a relatively new fan that does spread heat called the diskfan ceiling fan (http://www.diskfan.com). I am not so sure of its cooling ability for summer time, but for winter time it seems ideal because it blows the heat radially away from the heater vent.

One thing I didn't see mentioned was humidity. It's been my experience that ceiling fans work well during humid conditions but not so much in dry ones. Being under a whirling ceiling on a hot day in a desert climate is like standing in front of an oven! Swamp coolers seem to work best in those dry climates.

[LLP]

Have the same ceiling fan thats pictured above. The cooling position is counter-clockwise (by standing underneath it position).

[Fanimation fans]

I have my ceiling fans rotate counterclockwise during the summer months (downward). This has helped me save 10% on my electricity bill out here in Arizona. You can also find some more efficient (albeit unconventional looking) fans at www.ceilingfantasia.com. They have a more diverse selection than your Home Depots and Lowe's.