A fan, preferably a ceiling fan, may be sufficient to maintain adequate comfort. Ceiling fans use up to 90% less energy than air conditioning.
The fans are extremely easy to use and very quiet. Of course, we can consider them a great invention.
Fans do not cool the air contrary to popular belief, they simply move it. People generate heat, so we heat the air around us. What the fan does is that it changes the air that we have near us for another, and thus manages to cool us naturally.
Fans were invented in the 1880s to cool factories and hotels, and were introduced to homes in the 1920s, before air conditioning.
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Fan vs air conditioner.
A few weeks ago, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism of Spain published a Practical Energy Guide, a document in which it is explicitly stated that “the fans produce a feeling of temperature drop between three and five degrees Celsius (3 and 5ºC). Its power consumption is very low. A fan, preferably a ceiling fan, may be sufficient to maintain adequate comfort.“.
The WWF also recommends “minimize the use of air conditioning, use exterior sun protection elements, such as blinds and awnings; and interiors, such as light-colored curtains, painting buildings in light colors and putting plants on terraces to lower the outside temperature“.
According to the environmental organization, moreover, “the use of air conditioning can be replaced by the use of ceiling fans which, in addition to cooling only with the circulation of an air current and not contributing to the creation of the island phenomenon of heat, consume much less energy and therefore its global warming rate is lower than that of air conditioners“.
If you have already decided to install fans in your home, it is important that you choose a model with the right size for the room.
If it is too small, it will not ventilate enough.. It must have at least 3 rotation speeds to be able to regulate the amount of air. The best models incorporate a rotation inverter, a very useful system in winter because it circulates warm air from top to bottom, increasing the temperature at floor level. You need to place it in the center of the room.
It is very important for safety to anchor it well to the ceiling, so that we can prevent it from falling due to weight or movement. In suspended plaster ceilings, it must be placed together with the anchor rod.
Air conditioning is adequate only on the hottest days. For the rest, a fan is surely enough. The small investment in a fan can save you a lot of money on your electricity bill.
