Using a Ceiling Fan in the Winter

I learned a really neat trick last night, and I want to share it with you! My aunt came over to my house late at night to chat with my parents. She came into my room and asked me why my ceiling fan wasn't on. I looked at her like she was crazy, but apparently she knew what she was talking about. After Googling, I remembered that ceiling fans are actually good to use year round (if you recall, I actually wrote about this before...I don't know why it didn't stick with me). There's actually a switch that allows you to change the direction in which the blades turn, forcing the hot air back down instead of pushing it up. This is a really great feature because otherwise ceiling fans would just be there to collect dust for a good half of the year! As it turns out, this feature can also save you up to 10% in heating costs.

Oh, but be careful if you have any flying pets, such as birds! I just read something on the internet the other day with stories about pet owners that forget to turn off their ceiling fans when they let their birds fly free. Can't be a pretty sight! :( Poor birds.