As the temperatures rise, your electric bill is probably rising, too. To cool down your home without running the air conditioner 24/7, you might turn to fans. Fans can have powerful cooling abilities in your home — if you use them correctly.
If it’s cool outside, crack a window
OK, so you probably already understand this idea. But the cooling powers of an open window can be amplified when you add in a portable fan.
Once your window is open, position a fan so that the air is being blown outside. This will force all of the balmy air left over from the day time out of the house. Cold air will rush to replace the hot air.
Keep in mind, this is only applicable if it’s cooler outside than it is inside, making this the perfect trick for cooling down a room at night or in the evening.
Cool down during the hottest hours
If you want to cool a room during the daytime using a fan, you should not open the window like you would when the air is cool outside. The fan will just mix hot air with more hot air.
The usefulness of fans for cooling during the day lies in the “breeze factor.” If you’ve ever stood in the sun on a hot day with an occasional cool breeze, you know how cooling that breeze can truly be. This is the same idea behind using a fan to stay cool inside.
A fan creates a constant, artificial breeze, meaning it’s most useful when positioned close to you. The best place for a fan inside is at your desk while you work, on the counter while you’re in the kitchen or nearby wherever you may be.
Add in extra cooling power
Fans on their own can’t do much to actually cool down hot air. They’re great at moving hot air out of a room and creating a cooling breeze, but fans need a little something extra to actually be able to cool the air — ice.
That’s right, regular ice can actually be effective at cooling the air in your home or apartment when used in conjunction with a fan.
Position a fan like we suggested above but add a small bowl of ice in front of the blades. This will ensure that the air being blown through the fan actually passes through the cold air created by the bowl of ice. You can even create a miniature version of this “cool breeze” effect by placing a personal fan on your nightstand at night and keeping a water spritzer handy.
Don’t forget about your ceiling fan
Throughout all of this, we haven’t talked about a type of fan that’s perhaps the most common among renters. Your ceiling-mounted fan actually has some serious cooling power.
The secret lies in the direction the blades spin. You didn’t even know your fan blades could spin in different directions? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.
If you look at the base of your ceiling fan, you’ll likely find an inconspicuous black switch. This switch determines whether the blades spin clockwise or counterclockwise. Make sure the switch is flicked down. This will cause the blades to spin counterclockwise and create a downdraft effect that will make any room feel cooler.
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Source: apartmentguide.com