True story – otherwise, we wouldn’t be sharing it.

A friend of ours took his family to Hawaii for vacation about 10 years ago. With flight delays, a mix-up on car rental, a 45-minute drive to their resort and, for toppers, taking a wrong turn along the way, all four members of this travel party were beyond frazzled when they finally reached the front door of their vacation property.

The Dad of the bunch, tired of hearing everyone’s incessant complaints, snapped at one of his sons to “go find the thermostat and turn the AC on now!” After all, this was Hawaii, and of course the unit had central air. Why wouldn’t it?!

Except it didn’t. The 16-year old, almost fearful to report a failed search to his dad, finally mustered the courage. Dad’s nerves had started to unwind by this time, and he took the news in stride. Still, dads being dads, he conducted his own thermostat search, confident his son had missed something. Nope. His son had reported the news correctly.

In place of an AC system, the unit had two major pluses going for it. First, this was Hawaii, the island Kauai, where temperatures dip into the mid 50’s at night. Plus, the unit had two large but super quiet ceiling fans – the family slept like babies and didn’t miss not having central air a whit.

Can Ceiling Fans Help You?

Last time we checked, this isn’t Kauai, it’s North Central New Jersey. Slightly different climate, and a very big need for central air during the warm weather season.

Great, we all get it. But we also get high utility bills – for some of us, they’re uncomfortably high. So, we look for ways to cut those costs without sacrificing indoor comfort. Ceiling fans give you one such way to do that.

It starts with getting one or more two-way fans installed on ceilings at least 8’ tall. The size of the room also dictates the size of the fan. For rooms of 225 square feet, ceiling fans with a diameter between 36 and 44 inches are sufficient. Optimal ceiling fan installation places blades seven to nine feet higher than the floor and 10 to 12 inches away from the ceiling.

Contrary to popular belief, ceiling fans do not cool. Instead, they keep air moving.

In the summer, they take some of the pressure off your AC system by reducing the cooling load. As the blades of the fan rotate counterclockwise, they move air downward toward the spaces where we sit, sleep, and live.

This creates a windchill effect and moves air across your skin. The breeze evaporates moisture from your skin which makes you feel warmer. By doing so, your ceiling fan keeps bodies cooler, so you can stay comfortable and even set your thermostat a few degrees higher.

And that all means less wear and tear on your AC system, longer equipment life, fewer repairs, and lower energy bills.

Of course, if you follow our advice to a tee but still aren’t enjoying the “ahh” effect at home, chances are something’s wrong with your AC system. That’s when it’s time to contact C&D Cooling & Heating for expert problem diagnosis and our best recommendations on how to make things right. Contact us today for the service you need, when you need it.