Should you be running both your fan and AC together?
Many of us like to run our ACs in conjunction with our fans to maximise comfort. But are not sure about whether it is the right way to go about things or are we harming our appliances
Well, the short answer is yes. Bear with me for the long answer and a bit more. Running your air conditioner together with your fan can be a quick and efficient way to cool the room while conserving energy.
By adding a fan to circulate cool air throughout the room, the burden on the air conditioning system is reduced, resulting in energy savings. Generally, it is effective to turn on both the air conditioner and the fan simultaneously; however, we will discuss some methods and tips below to increase efficiency with just your fan or air conditioner.
How do using an air conditioner and a fan together save energy?
It is common knowledge that a fan consumes significantly less energy than an air conditioner, but since both are electrical appliances, doesn't running them simultaneously consume even more energy? The reason for conserving energy while using both appliances is simple: The air conditioner's job is to produce cold air, but it may not be very efficient in circulating the air.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The issue with air is that it settles rather than circulates on its own. The use of an external fan to aid in air circulation within the room speeds up the cooling process, reducing the load on the air conditioner.
Now that you understand how the energy-saving process works, here are some tips to improve the efficiency of your fan and air conditioner:
Point your fan's head downward: Hot air rises and cold air sinks. With this principle, your air conditioner's cold air will sink closer to the ground. By pointing your fan towards the ground, you effectively circulate the cool air that has settled on the ground upward, cooling more areas of the room.
Position the fan next to or under the air conditioner vent: This will help circulate the coldest air from the air conditioner to other parts of the room.
Increase your air conditioner's temperature: If you've been using your air conditioner without a fan, try increasing the temperature in two degree increments while using a fan to find a comfortable temperature that works for you, with the added air chill factor from the fan. In general, the optimal air conditioning temperature for comfort is 25 degrees Celsius.
Turn on the fan first, then the air conditioner. Most rooms are designed to be well-insulated, so cool air cannot easily escape. Unfortunately, this also applies to hot air: when the air conditioner is turned off, hot air can accumulate in your room and become trapped inside.
Before turning on your air conditioner, open your doors and windows and turn on a fan for 10–15 minutes to help dispel the hot air. Once all of the hot air has been expelled, close the windows/doors and turn on your air conditioner; this will allow your room to cool down much faster.
