Should I leave my ceiling fan on all night in the winter?

[Nimrod1911]

I read that using your ceiling fan in the winter forces hot air up and out and down the walls of the room. It also generally mixes the cool and warm air. The source I was reading suggested that this made your thermostat & furnace work less and thus saving you money. So, if this is true, should I leave my fan on 24/7 in the winter? (in other words...leave it on at night while we are sleeping & during the day when we have stepped out for a few hours) My fan is on a vaulted ceiling 14 feet high and my thermostat is in the same room.

 

[HVAC_Marc]

i would. it helps prevent stratification of the air - layers of hot, cool, cold. a better mix will help prevent the furnace from running. depending upon your electricity rate, it may increase your bill. generally, though, natural gas is cheaper than electricity, but not cheaper than LP. you will need to monitor your bills to see if it makes any difference cost-wise. it will make a difference, comfort-wise.

 

[Highbeam]

Mine is on 24/7 all heating season. Low speed blowing up so no feel of blowing.

 

[Jim H.]

same here

 

[ironpony]

ours are always on, up in the winter down in the summer.

 

[wahoowad]

always on when burning

 

[Warm_in_NH]

On all winter.

 

[woodgeek]

experiment.

 

[jebatty]

I don't like the draft from the ceiling fan.

 

[maple1]

Only time ours are on is when it's hot in the summer.

This is one of those situationally dependant things. If I had a stove in a room with 14' ceilings, I would likely have a fan up there going all winter.

 

[xman23]

My two ceiling fans are on speed two of three all heating season. With all the heat coming from one spot, you need to move the cold and hot air around. I have them blowing down, but I don't think it matters all that much. You just want to mix the air.

 

[Pellet_Pete]

I have a lofted space (maybe 10-12') over my kitchen with a skylight where the surrounding roof is always quick to melt snow, so I figured I was losing heat somewhere. After reading this post a week ago, I found the reverse switch on the kitchen ceiling fan and have been running it on low round the clock more or less. We've had a series of lesser snow events and it's definitely noticeable how much more slowly the snow is melting in that section of roof. I've also noticed more even temps in the hallway beyond the kitchen. I suspect I was just collecting all my warmest air up in that high space and sending it up to the heavens before. Not any more!

 

[Warm_in_NH]

I have normal ceiling heights. I can drop the temp of the sheet rock on the ceiling by 15 degrees on average (checked w ir) over the stove by turning the fan on.

 

[Hogwildz]

On 24/7 all year round, medium speed. Up in winter, down in summer.

 

[j7art2]

Will this also work with wood furnaces that have heat coming out of ductwork? If so, you learn something new every day I guess. I'll have to give it a whirl. My furnace eats logs like candy. It heats well, but anything to reduce wood use would be great. lol.

 

[Ncountry]

My pellet stove is under the open 12'x12' open part of my 2 story house and is on low year round. That seems to keep the temp fairly even throughout the house.

 

[Bioburner]

Don't think the fan in the garage has been shut off in over ten years since putting it in

 

[peakbagger]

Be aware some older ceiling fans are quite inefficient. Sure they move air but they use a lot of juice. The power isn't wasted as what doesn't go into moving air heats the room. The EPA at some point started energy star ratings on fan and some manufacturers stepped up and designed aerofoil blades with a lot more efficiency. The method of speed control apparently has also changed but I am not sure how that part of it works.

 

[woodgeek]

The best fans now have DC motors, effectively an ECM motor. But none of those are cheap, and the one I picked up on fleabay has bad bearings.

 

[xman23]

I just reversed my fan to blow up. Wow does that get rid of the drafty feel you get in the winter. I have two fans that really help with the stove. I've bought Hampton Bay at HD 15 years ago. They were fairly cheap, but are still perfect and they run all winter

 

[Nimrod1911]

Would you leave it on even when not burning?

 

[Oldman47]

In a room with high ceilings it will help keep the air well mixed with a wood stove, boiler or hot air system.