The winters in my local area are very long and super cold.
With temperatures below freezing and feet of snow on the ground, we are trapped inside the house for more than half the year.
The cost of running the furnace is a big drain on the household budget. I take the opportunity to thoroughly clean the house during the winter. It’s the perfect time to clean behind the refrigerator, move furniture around and organize the closets. I launder the bedding and curtains and replace all of our pillows. I like to set up a ladder so that I can wash walls, ceilings and overhead light fixtures. When I climbed the ladder last winter, I noticed a significant increase in temperature. Standing on the floor, I needed to wear a sweatshirt to keep warm. At the top of the ladder, I immediately started to sweat. That told me that the heat from the furnace was rising straight up to the ceiling. Stratification leads to higher thermostat settings, greater strain on the furnace and higher utility bills. The heating system was certainly running longer than necessary and using more energy. The added wear and tear could shorten service life and increase the risk of malfunctions. I did some research and found that ceiling fans are recommended for improving efficiency. The ceiling fans should be set to turn counterclockwise in the summer to create a downdraft and a cooling breeze. In the winter, switching the fan direction to clockwise creates an updraft and distributes warm air around the room. There are a wide variety of sizes, styles and price ranges for ceiling fans. My husband and I were able to install the fans ourselves. They have made a noticeable improvement in comfort.