When the weather starts to cool off, you might be thinking about how you’ll take full advantage of your heating and cooling. After all, HVAC costs frequently add up to a large piece of your monthly electric bill. To learn new ways to reduce costs, some people look closer at their thermostat. Is there a setting they could use to increase efficiency?

The majority of thermostats have a ‘Fan’ or ‘Fan On’ setting. But if the fan is on during a regular cycle, what does the fan setting offer for the HVAC system? This guide will help. We’ll walk through what exactly the fan setting is and how you can use it to reduce costs in the summer or winter.

Should I Use My Thermostat’s Fan Setting?

For the majority of thermostats, the fan setting signifies that the air handler’s blower fan stays on. Some furnaces will run at a low level in this setting, but for the most part heating or cooling isn’t being generated. The ‘Auto’ setting, in contrast, will start the fan over a heating or cooling cycle and turn it off once the cycle is over.

There are pros and cons to switching on the fan setting on your thermostat, and the ideal option {will|can|should]] depend on your distinct comfort requirements.

Advantages to using the Fan/On setting:

  • You can keep the temperature in every room more balanced by permitting the fan to keep generating airflow.
  • Indoor air quality should improve as continuous airflow will keep forcing airborne pollutants through the air filter.
  • A smaller number of start-stop cycles for the system’s fan helps extend its life span. Because the air handler is often connected to the furnace, this means you might minimize the risk of needing furnace repair.

Drawbacks to using the Fan/On setting:

  • A continuous fan can increase your energy bills somewhat.
  • Nonstop airflow could clog your air filter in a shorter amount of time, increasing the frequency you should replace it.

{Choosing Between|Should My Thermostat Be on|Which Setting for My Thermostat? Fan or Auto in Each Season

Through the summer, warm air will sometimes persist in unfinished spaces like the attic or an attached garage. If you keep the fan running, your HVAC system can gradually move this warm air into the rest of your home, pushing the HVAC system to run longer to keep up with the preferred temperature. In extreme heat, this may lead to needing AC repair more often as wear and tear increases.

The reverse can occur in the winter. Cooler spaces such as a basement will hold onto cooler air, which can eventually drift into the rest of your home. Keeping the fan on may draw more cold air upward, increasing the amount of heating you need to stay warm.

If you’re still trying to determine if you should switch to the fan/on setting, don’t forget that every home and family’s comfort needs are not the same. Leaving the HVAC system’s fan on may be ideal for you if:

Someone in your household deals with allergies. Allergies and similar respiratory conditions can be hard on the family. Leaving the fan on should help to enhance indoor air quality, helping your family breathe easier.

Your home experiences hot and cold spots. Lots of homes wrestle with persistent hot and cold spots that quickly evolve to a temperature different from the rest of the house. The fan setting should help limit these changes by steadily refreshing each room’s supply of air.