The r/Frugal subreddit is a great place to go if you're trying to get clever about cutting costs. You'll find a ton of great advice (and careful calculations) on how to optimize your spending and avoid unnecessary waste.
And although it may not be the primary goal for some users, these lifestyle hacks also offer some great ways to be more eco-friendly.
The scoop
A recent post titled "Running a fan to lower AC costs" asks an interesting question.
"Does anyone know, or has anyone done the calculation on if it's cost effective to run all of the ceiling fans in your house to help the AC keep your home cool throughout the day, effectively lowering the amount of power required by the HVAC to do its job?" the caption asked.
How it's helping
This question is a worthwhile one for a few different reasons. One is that it may very well be a solid way to reduce energy consumption and save some money. Another is that it offers an interesting lesson about how exactly fans work.
The r/Frugal users tended to agree that raising your AC temperature a little and then running a ceiling fan is more efficient and cost-effective.
"It lowers your cooling costs by 6-8% when you use them together," one offers, albeit without offering the actual calculations.
However, a few users point out that fans do not actually cool anything — they simply move air around. The air can be cold or hot. What cools you is the wind chill effect provided by that moving air.
Of course, if the AC is running, then cool air is being dispensed throughout the house, and the ceiling fans will be moving that around. It just may be more worthwhile to only keep the ceiling fans on in the rooms you're currently using. It may also be a simpler, more efficient, and more cost-effective choice to choose a sustainable HVAC upgrade like a heat pump.
What everyone's saying
Commenters offered a range of thoughts and opinions.
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Every day 😥 "[Running] the fans does keep the [area] cooler," one said. "Running fans is cheaper than running an AC unit."
"Moving air feels naturally better. I run a ceiling fan before putting on AC and with the AC to keep the thermostat at 76F," another said. "It's all subjective."
"We have done this the last 41 years," another added.
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