Run Ceiling Fans the Right Direction for the Season

Most ceiling fans have a little switch on the motor housing that reverses them, and most have never been touched. The direction actually matters — a little.

The simple rule

• Summer: counterclockwise (looking up at it). The blades push air straight down, and the breeze on your skin lets you set the thermostat a couple degrees higher in comfort.
• Winter: clockwise on low. It pulls cool air up and pushes the warm air pooled at the ceiling down the walls without a draft.
• Turn the fan fully off before flipping the direction switch, and give the blades a dust while you're up there — the pillowcase trick keeps the dust out of the air.

Fans cool people, not rooms — switch them off in empty rooms and save the electricity.