Buzz
Curious about effectively cooling your home with fans? Having spent six summers without air conditioning, I’ve become quite adept at staying cool. One of my fans was acquired during a breakup—taken from an ex—but fans are affordable, so whether you’re using them instead of AC or alongside it, securing one (or several) is essential.
Whether your fans are acquired through questionable means or bought legitimately, their effectiveness depends on strategic placement. Here’s how to position them for optimal cooling.
When cooling your home, factor in the size and design of your fan
In my compact apartment, I rely on two fans: a three-foot-tall rotating cylinder in the living room (which doubles as my dining area) that delivers a breeze up to eight feet on its highest setting, and a compact circular fan in my bedroom that, despite its size, effectively cools from about three feet away.
Different fan sizes and designs are better suited for specific areas, as noted by Lasko, a leading fan manufacturer. For cooling larger spaces like living rooms or family rooms, consider these options:
Tower fan
Pedestal fan
Wall-mounted fan
Bladeless fan
Air circulator fan
Though each fan type directs airflow differently, their primary functions—creating a breeze and circulating air—remain consistent. Choose a fan that fits your space and offers sufficient power. For smaller areas like bedrooms, a compact fan works well.
Optimal fan placement in a room for effective cooling
Simply placing a large fan in a spacious room or a small fan in a compact area isn’t sufficient—optimal placement is crucial. Since cold air sinks and hot air rises, rooms with high ceilings allow warm air to accumulate. Staircases and hallways in such spaces tend to be warmer than lower areas. For example, my “bedroom” is a lofted storage space with 11-foot ceilings in my studio. Without my small bedroom fan, I might have already experienced a heat-related health issue during sleep. Multiple fans may be necessary to address higher areas effectively.
The secret to effective fan placement is positioning it to face the wall opposite where most activity occurs. According to Lasko, this directs airflow toward the wall, causing it to bounce off and mix with the surrounding air, cooling the entire space.
Placement matters more than the type of fan. While taller or elevated fans might seem ideal for targeting hot air near the ceiling, Lasko notes that a fan closer to the ground can draw up the “coolness” near the floor and distribute it. A box fan, for instance, can be placed on the floor or in a window. Window fans are excellent for bringing in fresh air, but they’re unnecessary if you’re concerned about allergens or outdoor air entering your home.
When planning fan placement, consider furniture arrangements. A window fan blocked by curtains is less effective than one with a clear path. Similarly, a floor fan obstructed by a couch or table won’t perform as well as one with an unobstructed airflow. Placing a shallow pan of ice in front of a fan can create a makeshift DIY air conditioner, as the fan picks up the cold air and disperses it.
If you’re using a single fan to cool multiple rooms, adjust your strategy. Andrew Persily, an indoor air quality engineer at the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, explained to Quartz that positioning a fan between two rooms—blowing air from the cooler room into the warmer one—can help distribute cold air. This approach also works if you’re using a large fan in one room and a smaller fan to channel its cool air into an adjacent space.
Plan fan usage to ensure everyone in the house stays cool
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, fans don’t lower room temperatures but instead cool the individuals inside. While I’ve observed a noticeable difference between rooms with fans running and those without, the key point, as highlighted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is to position fans so they directly blow on people in the room. This ensures that, regardless of whether the room itself cools, the occupants feel the cooling effect.
Position your fan in a spot where it’s easy to turn off when not needed. Running a fan continuously can generate slight heat from its motor, which, though minimal compared to summer heat, still wastes energy.
