When the weather is cooling off, you are probably wondering about how you’ll make the most of your heating and cooling. After all, HVAC expenses frequently add up to a large piece of your monthly electric bill. To learn new ways to save, some homeowners look closer at their thermostat. Is there a setting they can use to increase efficiency?
Most thermostats come with a ‘Fan’ or ‘Fan On’ setting. But if the fan is on during a normal cycle, what can the fan setting offer for an HVAC system? This guide can help. We’ll walk through what exactly the fan setting is and whether you can use it to reduce costs in the summer or winter.
What Is the Fan Setting on My Thermostat?
For most thermostats, the fan setting means that the air handler’s blower fan remains on. A few furnaces can operate at a low level with this setting, but in most cases heating or cooling isn’t being produced. The ‘Auto’ setting, on the other hand, will turn on the fan during a heating or cooling cycle and switch it off when the cycle is finished.
There are benefits and drawbacks to trying the fan setting on your thermostat, and whether you do or don’t {will|can|should]] depend on your personal comfort needs.
Advantages to using the Fan/On setting:
- You can keep the temperature throughout your home more balanced by enabling the fan to keep running.
- Indoor air quality will be highest as constant airflow will keep forcing airborne particles through the air filter.
- A smaller number of start-stop cycles for the blower fan helps lengthen its life span. As the air handler is typically part of the furnace, this means you might prevent the need for furnace repair.
Drawbacks to switching to the Fan/On setting:
- A nonstop fan could add to your energy costs by a small margin.
- Nonstop airflow can clog your air filter in a shorter amount of time, increasing the frequency you will want to replace it.
{Choosing Between|Should My Thermostat Be on|Which Setting for My Thermostat? Fan or Auto in Summer/Winter
During the summer, warm air can persist in unfinished spaces such as the attic or an attached garage. If you keep the fan running, your HVAC system can gradually move this warm air into the rest of your home, pushing the HVAC system to work more to preserve the desired temperature. In serious heat, this could lead to needing AC repair more often as wear and tear gets worse.
The opposite can happen over the winter. Cooler spaces like a basement will hold onto cooler air, which may eventually make its way into the rest of your home. Leaving the fan running may pull more cold air upward, increasing the amount of heating you need to stay warm.
If you’re still trying to figure out if you should switch to the fan/on setting, don’t forget that every home and family’s comfort needs will vary. Leaving the HVAC system’s fan on may be best for you if:
Someone in your household deals with allergies. Allergies and similar respiratory conditions can be stressful on the family. Leaving the fan on should help to increase indoor air quality, helping your family breathe easier.
Your home has hot and cold spots. Lots of homes wrestle with difficult hot and cold spots that quickly evolve to a temperature different from the rest of the house. The fan setting should help minimize these changes by steadily refreshing each room’s ventilation.