Do you need a guide on how to change ceiling fan direction in winter or summer?
As a licensed home inspector, I have tested many ceiling fans and answered countless heating and cooling questions from my clients!
When changing the direction of the ceiling fan, it’s also the perfect time to balance the ceiling fan blades to reduce noise or wobbling.
In this guide, we will cover…
- Year-round comfort by adjusting fan direction for each season.
- Winter warmth: Use your fan to circulate heat and boost efficiency.
- Cool summers: A counterclockwise fan rotation keeps you cool while saving energy.
- Easy fan adjustments: Switch fan direction with pull chains, remotes, or apps.
- HVAC optimization: Adjust vents seasonally to balance airflow and improve comfort.
- Quick fan check: Simple tricks to tell if your fan is spinning the right direction.
- Room size matters: Learn how fan direction affects airflow in different room sizes.
Let’s get started!
Ceiling Fan Rotation Direction in Winter
During winter or colder weather, the ceiling fans should be spinning clockwise when looking up at the ceiling fan.
According to EnergyStar.gov, the main idea of a clockwise-spinning ceiling fan is to create an updraft that circulates the heat rising to the top of the room.
Remember, hot air rises, so a ceiling fan pushing air upwards will circulate the heat that has moved toward the ceiling.
How Effective Is It?
A ceiling fan in ‘updraft mode’ will help the HVAC system be more efficient.
You can even keep the thermostat a few degrees lower since the heat is distributed more effectively.
The ‘winter mode’ effect of the ceiling fan will be even more noticeable with large rooms, tall ceilings, or rooms with vaulted ceilings.
Exceptions
A small bedroom may not have a very noticeable effect.
In fact, for smaller rooms, it may be better to just keep the ceiling fan spinning in the same direction year round depending on your preference and comfort.
Some people may prefer to keep a normal breeze even during winter.
Read Also >> How To Fix Noisy Ceiling Fans? (Humming, Clicking, Buzzing)
Ceiling Fan Direction During Summer
During summer or on warm days, the ceiling fans should be set to rotate counterclockwise from the perspective of looking up at the fan.
The biggest effect of a ceiling fan with a downward push (standard setting) is the evaporative cooling effect.
The breeze on your skin increases evaporation and makes you feel cooler which allows homeowners to increase the HVAC temperature.
How Effective Is It?
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, you should be able to raise the thermostat by about 4-degrees while feeling the same level of coolness in a room with a ceiling fan.
And since cold air sinks, the downward push of the ceiling fan helps distribute the cool air throughout the room — it’s the opposite principle of when in winter (hot air rises).
Exceptions
This ‘summer setting’ will be less noticeable if the air vents are on the floor which isn’t as common as vents in the ceiling.
Likewise, if you have a small room, there will be less of an effect.
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Leading and Trailing Edge of Fan Blade
If you find the ‘clockwise’ and ‘counterclockwise’ advice is confusing, simply look at the leading and trailing edge of the ceiling fan.
When the trailing edge (rear) of the fan blade is LOWER than the leading edge (front), this will push the air DOWN.
When the trailing edge (rear) of the fan blade is HIGHER than the leading edge (front), this will push the air UPWARDS.
Simple Method
Another way of determining the direction is to put the ceiling fan on the highest fan speed.
If you are feeling a strong breeze, then it is likely moving in the summer or downward push direction.
If you aren’t getting a lot of airflow, then it is likely in updraft or ‘winter mode’.
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How To Change Ceiling Fan Direction?
If your ceiling fan has a pull chain, there should be a small switch on the fan housing.
- First turn off the ceiling fan.
- Locate the small switch near where the pull chain enters the housing.
- Flip the switch
- Turn the ceiling fan back on.
It should now be rotating in the opposite direction.
Using The Remote
If your ceiling fan has a remote, it may have a function to change the fan direction.
- To reverse direction for some Hunter ceiling fans, you will need to press and hold the button with fan blades on it while pressing the UP arrow at the same time.
- There may be a “reverse” logo or text on the remote — press and hold that button
- You may need to find the manual for your specific ceiling fan to locate the correct remote function.
Also, if you have a smart ceiling fan that can be controlled with a phone app, there will likely be a way to do it through the app.
Improve Comfort By Opening And Closing HVAC Vents
There are a few key things to know about controlling HVAC vents to maximize comfort in addition to ceiling fan rotation.
Simply closing some air vent registers will increase the air flow to the rooms where it is more needed.
A common complaint of new homebuyers is not getting enough air flow to the HVAC vents.
Supply Air Vents
Summer
During summer, it is a standard practice to fully or partially close the basement (or lowest level) air vents.
Cold air will sink to the basement so it usually isn’t productive to have the air vents fully open on the lowest level.
The upper levels of the home should have the HVAC vents fully open.
There will also be extra heat being radiated from the hot attic towards the uppermost home level.
Winter
During winter, you will want to fully open the lower level air vent registers since hot air rises.
And you will want to adjust the upper level room vents relative to the amount of sunlight during cold weather.
South facing rooms in winter will get more sun so they should be more closed and won’t need as much heat.
North facing rooms in winter get less sun — so these vents should be fully opened.
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Return HVAC Vents
The return air vents can also be optimized during winter and summer for the most efficiency.
The ‘return’ HVAC vents are typically the much larger vents where air gets pulled into it and gets circulated back to the furnace or air handler.
Each home usually has between 1-5 return vents as compared to 10-20+ supply air vents.
How To Open/Close Return Vents
During summer, since hot air rises, you want to keep your return vents open towards the upper part of the house in order to capture the hot air while closing return vents in the basement or lower level.
But during winter, since cold air sinks, you want to close the upper return vents and open the lower return vents.
Remember: Opening and closing return vents can only be done if you have at least 2 or more return vents otherwise you will be totally cutting off the airflow.
One simple way of closing the return vent is to wrap the return filter in a plastic bag and then putting it back into the register.
If the return vent doesn’t have a filter, you can just use duct tape and a plastic sheet.
There are also magnetic air vent covers that you can buy online. However, homeowners may need to buy 3-4 covers in order to cover a large vent.
Read Also >> How Much Weight Can A Ceiling Fan Hold?
Final Thoughts
It may seem like a small thing, but controlling the direction of your ceiling fan can play a big part in home comfort as the seasons change from cold to warm.
During summer, making the ceiling fan spin counterclockwise for a downward push will give a nice cool breeze and help improve the efficiency of your A/C.
And in contrast, during winter, it is best to set the ceiling fan to spin clockwise in order to create an ‘updraft’ and to distribute the heat that has risen to the top of the room.
When homeowners adjust the ceiling fans based on the change of seasons, it can increase home comfort and lower your HVAC energy costs.
Please leave a comment below on your experience with ceiling fan direction or ask me a question!
