Fans are useful for regulating the temperature of your home and circulating air, all year long. If you don’t have air conditioning, running fans continually can help filter the air, make you feel cooler, and equalize upstairs and downstairs temperatures.

Let’s take a closer look:

Ceiling fans

With ceiling fans, the direction of airflow matters.

During the spring and summer, set your ceiling fan to rotate clockwise to create a direct breeze that will help you feel cooler than the temperature of the air around you. This may mean you can set your thermostat a little higher and still feel comfy, which can save you money.

During fall and winter, set your ceiling fan to rotate counter-clockwise to draw air up and recirculate warmer air.

Box fans

Since box fans sit on a surface, such as the floor, a table, or a window sill, they don’t vertically circulate air as efficiently as a ceiling fan. But they can help you feel cooler by moving the air around you. They’re a convenient and portable way to get a breeze going.

Of course, using a box fan along with your home cooling system can help you save money during warmer months by circulating the cooled air from your system, just like a ceiling fan. And when placed near an open door or window, they can freshen indoor air quickly.

What about humidity?

The higher the humidity of the air, the warmer you feel. That’s because your body can’t cool itself off as easily.

Fans help you feel cooler but they cannot remove humidity like an air conditioning system can. If the air is muggy, a fan won’t make it feel any less so. That’s why, on a really hot, sticky day, it can feel like your fan is just pushing hot air around.

An air conditioning unit removes some moisture from the air. When an air conditioner removes moisture from the air, it makes the air feel cooler.

Use fans to cool the air around you, circulate air, and equalize the temperatures around your home. But if you want to regulate humidity, an air cooling system is the way to go.