As the weather begins to cool off, you may be thinking about how you’ll take full advantage of your heating and cooling. After all, HVAC expenses frequently add up to a significant piece of your monthly electric bill. To try and find ways to save, some homeowners look closely at their thermostat. Is there a setting they could use to improve efficiency?

Most thermostats have a ‘Fan’ or ‘Fan On’ setting. But if the fan is on during a normal cycle, what does the fan setting provide for your HVAC system? This guide will help. We’ll walk through just what the fan setting is and when you can use it to reduce costs over the summer or winter.

How Do I Access the Fan Setting on My Thermostat?

For the majority of thermostats, the fan setting signifies that the HVAC blower fan remains on. Certain furnaces will generate heat at a low level with this setting, but in general heating or cooling isn’t being produced. The ‘Auto’ setting, in contrast, will run the fan through a heating or cooling cycle and turn it off after the cycle is finished.

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

Advantages to utilizing the Fan/On setting:

  • You can keep the temperature in each room more balanced by permitting the fan to keep generating airflow.
  • Indoor air quality can increase since constant airflow will keep moving airborne pollutants through the air filter.
  • Fewer start-stop cycles for the system's fan helps extend its life span. Since the air handler is often part of the furnace, this means you could avoid needing furnace repair.

Disadvantages to using the Fan/On setting:

  • A constant fan can add to your energy bills by a small margin.
  • Nonstop airflow may clog your air filter soon, increasing the frequency you’ll need to replace it.

{Choosing Between|Should My Thermostat Be on|Which Setting for My Thermostat? Fan or Auto in Summer/Winter

During the summer, warm air can linger in unfinished spaces such as the attic or an attached garage. If you use the fan setting, your HVAC system can pull this warm air into the rest of your home, pushing the HVAC system to run longer to maintain the preferred temperature. In extreme heat, this may result in needing AC repair more often as wear and tear gets worse.

The reverse can take place during the winter. Cooler spaces such as a basement will hold onto cooler air, which will eventually make its way into the rest of your home. Leaving the fan running may draw more cold air upward, increasing the amount of heating you need to keep warm.

If you’re still trying to figure out if you should use 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 could be ideal for you if:

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

Your home has hot and cold spots. Lots of homes wrestle with difficult hot and cold spots that quickly return to a temperature different from the rest of the house. The fan setting might help lessen these changes by constantly refreshing each room’s ventilation.