How to Use Window Fans for Home Cooling

Electric fans can be an inexpensive, Earth-friendly alternative to supplement or even replace air conditioning. The best application for window fans is in areas and seasons when it is hot during the day and cool and dry at night. The object is to cool the house with window fans during the night using outside air, which can delay or even eliminate turning on the air conditioner during the day when the window fans are removed. Since this method uses electricity at night instead of during peak usage during the day, it can also help in areas subject to electricity blackouts. To use window fans for home-cooling, follow these guidelines.

Steps Edit

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• You get whatever temperature the air is outside. If that's cooler than what's inside your home, it will cool your home. If it's hotter, it will heat it. If it's about the same, the temperature won't change, but at least the air will be moving, which may help you feel cooler.

• If there's a lot of dust in the air around you, you'll have a hard time stopping it from blowing in. Make sure the fan and window screens are clean. Point the fan out and open several windows in the rest of the house. The air coming in won't be moving as fast, so it won't stir up as much extra stuff. Make sure the dust isn't coming from indoors. You could put a filter of some sort, such as a furnace filter, over the fan or the window screen. Choose a loose one so you don't block too much air.

• You can, but be sure the fan is the right size for the window. Use the extendable panels located on the sides of the fan to make sure there is no gap between the window and the fan.

1 hour) by draping and securing an ice-cold soaked wet towel across the inward-blowing fan. The air propelled by the fan will push past the towel, taking with it cold evaporating water. Size of the towel should match the size of the fan, so use discretion (a beach towel is probably way too big.) Also, be aware of potential water damage and electrical hazards; don't use this method if the water will drip onto the outlet or power cord connection.