Is it possible to replace your air conditioner with fans to save money? Are fans as efficient as air conditioners? Fans and air conditioners have similarities but each one has their own job to do. They are quite efficient when used together as a team. Here is a little information on both fans and air conditioners and how they work.
A little information about fans:
Fans do not cool the space or the rooms they are placed in. They do not have any refrigerant or a way to produce cold air on their own. Their main job is to circulate the air around your body making you feel cooler. On days when temperatures are mild, open windows on the shady side of the house and use window or ceiling fans to circulate the cooler air coming in from outside.
Fans can be used in winter and summer to boost the output from your heating and cooling system. When used with your air conditioner or furnace, they can be quite efficient at circulating the heat or cool air throughout the home. Ceiling fans usually have two to three setting-high, low, and medium as well as two directions for the blades to turn: clockwise and counterclockwise. Set the blades to turn clockwise during winter to push the heated air that rises to the ceiling downwards, and the opposite direction for summer to pull the heat up and away from you and circulating the cooler air.
You can use fans in place of air conditioning on days when temperatures are lower, say in the 70s or 80s, but they cannot equal the performance of central air on hotter days during the summer. They work by drawing in cooler air from outside and circulating it through the house, when temperatures outside are high they can only draw in the heated air so they lose their efficiency on hotter days.
About Central Air:
Central air conditioners use a refrigerant that is passed through copper coils that make it super cold. Air is then blow over those ice cold coils and the resulting cool air is pushed out through the ventilation system that runs throughout the home.
Air conditioners can be very efficient at cooling the home and with a programmable thermostat, can be set to save energy when the home is empty or when the occupants are sleeping.
Since air conditioners use refrigerant, they do not rely on the air from outside and can cool the home on their own.
Fans cannot cool a home on their own, but they can help the efforts of your heating and cooling system to better circulate the heat or cool air around your home increasing comfort levels. So this shows you how different fans and air conditioners are and how they can work together to be more efficient. Contact ABA Heating and Cooling if you have questions related to home comfort or AC repair.
