Many people don’t realize their ceiling fan has a summer setting. Here's how to find it!.

The Heat is on the Way 

It's only May, and we're already feeling the heat in the Tri-State.  In April, we already had temperatures reach into the mid-80s a couple of days, and before we know it, we'll be in the thick of summer.  Summer officially starts on June 20th, and with the way the seasons are in the Tri-State, we will no doubt see hot temperatures well before the official start of summertime. So it's never too early to start preparing for ways to stay cool during the warm months, and one simple trick will help with that!

Does Changing Your Ceiling Fan Direction Actually Work?

I have heard of changing the direction of your ceiling fan, but to be honest, I didn't think it would make much of a difference.  It turns out I was wrong.  When my son was a baby and we first moved him into his bedroom, I noticed no matter what we did, his room always felt cold.  Sometimes he would wake up, and his little hands would feel like ice cubes.  I was putting him to bed in warmer clothes and heavier sleep sacks, and nothing was working.

So I decided to try switching the ceiling fan direction, and it was a night and day difference in his room after that.  Now it was colder out when we did this, and changing the direction to the appropriate one for winter would actually push the warm air down, and it made his room feel much warmer than before, and he slept better too.

So now every season we change the direction of the ceiling fans in our home, and it really does make a difference.

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Set Your Fan Counter-Clockwise for Summer

With the warm weather here (and more to come), we went ahead and have changed our ceiling fans for summertime, and according to CNET, the proper way to have your fans spin for summer is counter-clockwise.

During the summer, you'll want your ceiling fan to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, which will blow cooler air straight down into the room. Just make sure the fins on your fan blades are tilted downward to help push the air toward the floor. You should feel the air in the room start to get cooler.

And since this should make your room feel cooler because the air will stay moving, it should also help you stay more comfortable, which can help you save on energy bills by not needing to drop the AC as low.  So it's a win/win! For the winter, just change it back to clockwise.

How to Change the Direction of Your Ceiling Fan

Changing the direction of your fan is super easy!

Make sure to turn your fan off, and then maybe dust it while it's stopped (not necessary, unless you're me and never turn your fan off so this is a good time to do that), then flip the small switch on your fan.  Then turn the fan back on, and cool off!