I just heard from my mom that the Northeast has been hit by a heat wave and they’re now experiencing the same weather that I’ve got down here in Florida! Well, I can definitely empathize because last week, our central air unit broke down! Just imagine 3 whole days and nights of 90-100+ degree weather without any sort of air conditioning. Thank goodness for ceiling fans!

Did you know that a ceiling fan uses only a tenth of the energy used to power an AC but can make a room feel up to 10 degrees cooler? According to Florida Power and Light, ceiling fans throughout a home can reduce energy bills by up to 40%. Talk about a win-win situation! Going green and saving moolah!

You may say that 10 degrees does not seem like a lot, but let me assure you that E and I definitely felt the difference! We were lucky that our house came with ceiling fans in most of the rooms, but we never had them in our apartments in NYC. Luckily, no matter where you are, ceiling fans are fairly inexpensive to buy and pretty easy to install yourself! 

A simple internet search will give you a ton of info, but here are two particularly useful links with tips on what to look for when buying a fan and how to install it:

Lowes - Tips and Instructions
This Old House - Instructions with better pictures

And while I’m sure no one is thinking about heating our homes in June (at least not in the U.S.), but we are all definitely conscious about rising energy costs, so keep in mind that a ceiling fan is also great investment for the winter months. Just reverse the direction of the fan, and it will push warm air downwards to the rest of the room!