Monthly Archives: May 2014

Ceiling Fans

Advantages Of Ceiling Fans

Whether in a bedroom, living room, on a patio or even in a gazebo, ceiling fans are one of the most versatile and most used appliances in your home. Ceiling fans are not only aesthetically pleasing, can add style much like furniture, They can also provide comfort in all.

No matter if it is Summer or Winter, ceiling fans can aid in heating or cooling your home or office more efficiently and help you save money by running your heating and cooling less. Ceiling fans use what is called ‘evaporative cooling’, meaning by circulating air across your skin, your body is naturally cooled by the process keeping you cooler in the Summer. Likewise, in the Winter months, reverse the rotation of the ceiling fan and warm air, that naturally rises, will be pushed back down and redistributed in your room. Almost all ceiling fans come with a directional switch for you to change the rotational direction of the blades.

A Few Tips To Remember

• Ceiling fans can save up to as much as 40% in cooling costs in the Summer and save as much as 10% in the Winter with heating costs
• Location matters when choosing a ceiling fan. If your ceiling fan will be used outside, then a ceiling fan specifically designed for outdoor use is needed
• The bigger the room, the bigger the fan needed
• Fans should be mounted 8 to 10 feet from the floor. Taller ceilings will need a down rod for proper height
• Controls can be a pull chain, wall switch or even remote control
• Prices vary. You can find a ceiling fan to fit any budget

Not only do ceiling fans aid in the cooling and heating of your home, add to the décor, they also help you save money all at the same time. Schaffhouser Electric can install ceiling fans, repair ceiling fans or aid you in making the right ceiling fan decision for your home or office. Contact Schaffhouser Electric for more information.

 

Saving-Energy

Energy Saving Tips For Summer

If you’re like most of the population, you’re wondering how to maximize comfort and minimize cost in the sweltering sun of the Nashville summer. Though middle Tennessee’s summer may start mercifully late after a mild spring, there is little respite from the soaring temperatures once summer is thoroughly underway.  The old-fashioned methods of self-cooling like walking around naked and wrapping a frozen towel around your head are only appropriate in certain contexts; unfortunately, most of us aren’t in the position to avail ourselves of those cheap and easy means of heat relief. Relying on central AC doesn’t condemn you automatically to an expensive slew of energy bills, though. There is a plethora of convenient ways in which you can minimize your expenditures without sprouting embarrassing sweat stains as soon as you wake up.

One good place to start is the kitchen; though it may not be your intuitive first guess, the kitchen is the site of many small decisions that can have a big impact on your energy bill’s bottom line. For example, choosing to cook your meals in the microwave rather than on the stove top requires only 1/3 as much energy, thus saving you a pretty penny without much difference in result. Another counter intuitive means of energy saving is using your dishwasher rather than putting in the sweat equity of washing the dishes yourself. You actually save water with a one-time wash for all the dishes at once compared to an individual manual wash. As long as you let them air dry, you’re coming out in the black. Finally, the fridge operates on a lower energy consumption level when it’s fuller, because it does less work to return to its equilibrium temperature after being opened when there is less room for warm air to enter.

A second convenient site for energy saving in summertime is the air conditioning system itself. Setting the thermostat to an ideal target range of 78 degrees when you’re in the house and relying on it, and then turning it up to 85 degrees when the house is empty, can keep you in the range that is both comfortable and affordable. Paying attention the air conditioner filters as well can ensure that the system is operating as efficiently as possible without wasting energy pushing past debris that has accumulated. Speaking of filters, checking the filters in your washing machine and swimming pool (if you have one) are two more easy ways to make sure you’re trimming unnecessary costs and saving all your money for the pure cost of temperate comfort. Best of luck, and remember, a glass of lemonade goes a long way!