than usual. Air conditioning is a lifesaver in these conditions, but a much older technology could protect your safety, your budget, and even the planet. Keeping cool over the next few months could revolve around the blades of a refreshing fan.
“You’d feel just as cool in an 80-degree room with fans, as a 72-degree room with A/C and no fans,” Jay says.Dialing back on ACs will ease the strain on the power grid, meaning fewer blackouts. And it could help break a vicious cycle, Jay says, where heat causes people to ratchet up their ACs, which generates carbon that results in an overall warmer climate—thereby creating even more demand for AC.
Meanwhile, Schiavon studies fan types and finds few differences in effectiveness. “If you use normal sized fans in their typical condition, many provide more or less the same cooling effect,” he says. But he notes that ceiling fans may not work during a power outage, whereas some standalone fans are battery-operated. Look for standaloneYou may feel cooler if you point fans to the right spots of the body, such as the torso, and personal fanscan complement stationary fans, Miranda says.
Timing is a major consideration. You want to use a window fan when it’s cooler outside the home than inside, typically overnight or early morning, says Pravin Bhiwapurkar, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Cincinnati. Direction is also key: the fan shouldTry putting a separate window fan on the other side of your home as well, if you have a window there. This additional fan should, so it helps pull the hot air out of the home and increase the overall airflow.