Home Improvement, Add a Ceiling Fan

In our modern era some people might view a ceiling fan as a thing of the past, but that’s just not so. In fact, many contractors are adding ceiling fans in new construction. Lets look at the benefits of having a ceiling fan.

A Ceiling Fan has multiple uses. First, which is obvious, they move air. The downdraft of a ceiling fan has a cooling effect that is very noticeable in the summer heat. This can be especially nice in older homes that do not have central air conditioning. Depending on where you live, a house without AC may not be all that uncommon. In addition to moving the air for you, many models also incorporate lighting as well. We won’t go into all the styles that are available, but there are numerous ones to choose from. Lets consider a home with central air. The thermostat is most likely located on a wall at about shoulder height. This means that the temperature measured is from the center of the room. Since hot air rises, and cold air sinks, your room will have an uneven temperature. With the use of a ceiling fan, the air is circulated to help provide an even temperature which in turn helps to reduce the load on your central air conditioning. What does that mean to you, simply lower energy use which also means fewer dollars spent on cooling. That’s got to be an incentive for anyone to install one.

Ever think that a ceiling fan could help heat your home? Well, it can. Most new ceiling fans have a reversing switch which allows you to run the fan in the opposite direction. During the cooler months when you have the heat on, this feature helps to circulate all that hot air trapped at the ceiling back down along the walls of the room to mix with the colder air sitting on the floor. As with most people, when my feet are cold I want to turn up the heat. By keeping the heat evenly distributed in the room we maintain a more comfortable space, which in turn allows us to turn down the thermostat. Once again, less energy used equals less money spent on heating bills.

Believe it or not, a ceiling fan can help you outdoors too. Have you tried to sit on your porch during the summer in the late evening only to have it spoiled by mosquitoes? Mosquitoes love it when it’s humid and very little wind. By installing a ceiling fan on your porch you can create a nice breeze that will deter these pesky insects form lighting on you. Many manufactures offer units that are for outdoor use. They are specially designed to resist moisture and stand up well in the relatively unprotected area of a porch or covered patio.

Installing a ceiling fan is as easy as replacing a light fixture. Any fan that you buy will have detailed instructions on how to install the unit and how to operate it. As with any electrical work, make sure that the electricity is turned off at it’s source (the homes breaker box) before attempting the installation. Just turning off the light switch for the ceiling light you are replacing with the ceiling fan is not good enough. The switch only breaks the electrical circuit on one wire, which means that power is still present at the light fixture. To check to see if the power (electricity) is off, turn on the light switch and then locate the right breaker in the homes electrical service breaker box and turn it off. Check to see that the light is out before continuing with your ceiling fan installation.

Follow the manufactures installation instructions for a trouble free home improvement that you can enjoy year round. Have fun with you home improvement project.