Your family may have discussed this around the dinner table. Do we install ceiling fans or air conditioners? Every summer, when the soaring temperatures in Australia hits, prudent homeowners start to ponder whether the additional cost of air conditioners is worth the outlay, or are ceiling fans more than enough?
Fans Vs Air Conditioners
Quick Spark has made this decision a little easier. Let’s look at how each technology works to see which cooling solution will work for you.
Ceiling Fans
They work by blowing air over your skin, encouraging the evaporation of the moisture. Evaporation – an endothermic process which means when the moisture changes into a vapour, it tends to absorb the heat from the surrounding area. What makes ceiling fans so efficient? They tend to lower the body temperature instead of the room.
Air Conditioners
They work in the same way, but there is a coolant coil within them that constantly undergoes condensation and evaporation. Evaporation tends to pull air into the ACs and cools it; whereas, condensation tends to draw the heat out of your home, that’s working elsewhere in the unit.
Cooling Cost
An air conditioner uses much more energy to transfer heat around the surroundings than a fan does. The winners in terms of costs are fans, which cost between $0.02 and $0.05 per hour (electricity bills). Hence, fans are more energy-efficient and use around 1% of the energy consumed by air conditioners.
When Fans Don’t Seem to Work
Ceiling fans don’t help to reduce overall humidity. Furthermore, humidity can make you feel much hotter. Sweat evaporates from your skin more slowly on humid days, limiting the efficiency of a fan even more.
Fans aren’t always ideal since the Australian summer is notoriously harsh, and that’s when an Air Conditioner comes to the rescue.
Air Conditioners – a Good Option
Though air conditioners seem to consume a lot of electricity in comparison to fans, they are the most comfortable way to cool down when the heat rises. Furthermore, they aid in the removal of moisture from the air, lowering humidity and allowing your body to release heat effectively.
Which One Is Better?
Are you still finding it hard to decide? Take a look at both pros and cons that will help you decide.
| Pros | Cons | |
|---|---|---|
| Ceiling Fans | Cheaper than air conditioners. | It doesn’t cool down the surroundings. |
| Doesn’t make the air dry. | Doesn’t work in humid weather. | |
| Doesn’t require maintenance | You need to stand under or in front of the fan to benefit from it. | |
| Works in open spaces. | ||
| Air Conditioners | Cools the whole space, not just you. | More expensive than fans. |
| It’s possible to programme it to keep a specified temperature. | Requires maintenance. | |
| Effects are felt much faster. | Doesn’t work in open spaces. | |
| Very efficient in terms of cooling. | They tend to dry out the air. |
Final Words
At the end of the day, it all comes down to your preference. If you are not bothered by the heat and looking for something environmentally-friendly, ceiling fans should be your go-to cooling option. While, if you can’t stand hot daytime temperatures, then air conditioners will get the job done for you!
Installation of your ceiling fan or air conditioners needs professional skills because a faulty installation can dent your pocket badly. Quick Spark is just one call away to give you full value for your money. You can book your appointment or visit our website https://getquickspark.com.au/
