There was a time when turning on the air conditioning meant turning on the ceiling fan in your home. The widespread availability and use of ceiling fans meant many homes were equipped with them to improve comfort.

Unfortunately, many homeowners have overlooked the many great benefits of modern ceiling fans other than considering them to be attractive additions for wealthy homeowners. Many older homes still have them. And lots of newer condominiums and multi-family housing are including them. That is because ceiling fans provide many benefits and make HVAC systems more effective and affordable to use.

If you are considering adding a ceiling fan to your home, the following are seven great benefits that they provide.

Makes Air Conditioners More Efficient

The ceiling fan rotates either clockwise or counterclockwise. Knowing how to properly use a ceiling fan makes a big difference in comfort and utility costs. During the summertime, you want it to rotate counter-clockwise to create a downdraft. The downdraft produces a breeze that cools your skin by enabling better evaporation of sweat. That helps you to keep the thermostat at a higher setting and use the air conditioner less.

Provides Better Air Circulation

The fan blades move a lot of air and help to create comfortable breezes inside your home. Those breezes improve air circulation and comfort. It also helps to remove smoke and unpleasant odors from your living spaces. So if you burn something while preparing dinner, the ceiling fan could take care of it.

Quiet Climate Control

Ceiling fans are very quiet and only produce a very low level of sound when switched to higher RPMs. A ceiling fan that is rotating at a low setting is whisper-quiet while providing you with highly beneficial air circulation.

Make Your Home Warm in Winter

While the ceiling fan is known for enabling better cooling, it also can make your home warmer in the winter. Switching to a clockwise pattern will cause the fan to push air down from the ceiling.

Heat rises and gets trapped up high. The ceiling fan recirculates the warm air produced by your home’s heating system. The recirculated warm air helps to reduce the heater’s usage and keep your home more comfortable.

Lighted Models Illuminate Large Rooms

A lot of ceiling fans have a very nice lighting system included. A lighted model can add appeal to your home while also improving the light during the night. The overhead light does not reflect in TV screens and on windows as readily as a table lamp or a floor lamp often does. So you get better lighting without any hassles.

Remotely Controlled Models Improve Efficiency

Many newer models include a remotely controlled system that enables you to program it and make changes on the fly as needed. A remotely controlled ceiling fan can control the direction, speed, and lighting when included with your fan. And lots of older fans can be upgraded by  installing a ceiling fan remote.

Out of the Way But Very Accessible

The ceiling fan is in a perfect location – overhead and out of the way. Unless you are extremely tall, odds are you never will come into contact with a ceiling fan unless you intend to touch it. But using one is very simple. You could have the power connected to a switch next to your lights and turn it on and off that way.

A hanging lanyard enables you to reach up and switch it on and change speeds. Another switch mounted to the ceiling fan or a second lanyard makes it possible to change between clockwise and counter-clockwise rotation. That is all it takes to use a modern ceiling fan. The addition of a remote control unit could make it even simpler and easier to use.

Better Materials Make Ceiling Fans Affordable and Effective

Modern ceiling fans have a great benefit over older ones. That benefit is the wide range of modern materials that could be used to make the fan blades and controlling mechanisms. An old-fashioned ceiling fan mostly was made from wood and had a simple electrical motor operating it.

Modern ceiling fans are made using plastics, metals, and faux wood from the wide variety of materials used to manufacture current models. The wide variety of materials makes it possible to manufacture fan blades and other components more quickly and affordably.

And the addition of remote control systems is making the modern ceiling fan better than ever. You do not have to reach overhead or stand on a chair or another object to reach the controls.

You can program your modern ceiling fan and enjoy its benefits for as long as you want the ceiling fan to be on. The modern ceiling fan is a great asset in any home and could make yours more comfortable while lowering utility costs.