Ceiling fans are often used in the summer to help circulate a light breeze of air around an otherwise stuffy house. What you may not realize is that a ceiling fan can actually help save energy in the winter.

In the summer, we often run the fan on its highest setting to force air down toward us at a high enough speed to use the wind chill effect. In the winter, even at the lowest speed, we would still feel this wind chill, but it also forces warm air down. However, by flipping a small switch on the ceiling fan, usually found around the edge of the core, the rotation of the blades can be reversed. This prevents the air from blowing directly on you while circulating the warm air around the house more instead of letting it gather at the ceiling.

Ceiling fans don’t use much electricity, and they can circulate the warm air around the house, effectively keeping the rest of the house warmer. This allows your heating system to work more efficiently to warm the house. If your home is not equipped with a ceiling fan, you can use a small box fan mounted on a shelf to help circulate the air. Ceiling fans are often forgotten in the colder months, but they’ll save you a bundle on your electricity bill.