When the weather is cooling off, you may be concerned about how you’ll take full advantage of your heating and cooling. After all, HVAC costs frequently make up a large portion of your monthly electric bill. To try and find ways to reduce costs, some owners take a closer look at their thermostat. Maybe there’s a setting they could use to increase efficiency?

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

My Thermostat Has a Fan Setting?

For the bulk of thermostats, the fan setting signifies that the HVAC blower fan keeps running. Some furnaces can generate heat at a low level in this setting, but in general heating or cooling isn’t being generated. The ‘Auto’ setting, on the other hand, will run the fan over a heating or cooling cycle and switch it off after the cycle is over.

There are benefits and drawbacks to using the fan setting on your thermostat, and the ideal option {will|can|should]] depend on your unique comfort requirements.

Advantages to utilizing the Fan/On setting:

  • You can keep the temperature in every room more balanced by allowing the fan to keep circulating air.
  • Indoor air quality should improve because constant airflow will keep moving airborne particles through the air filter.
  • A smaller amount of start-stop cycles for the system’s fan helps extend its life span. Since the air handler is often connected to the furnace, this means you might avoid needing furnace repair.

Disadvantages to utilizing the Fan/On setting:

  • A nonstop fan can raise your energy bills by a small margin.
  • Continuous airflow may clog your air filter in a shorter amount of time, 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 Each Season

Through the summer, warm air may persist in unfinished spaces such as the attic or an attached garage. If you keep the fan running, your HVAC system can draw this warm air into the rest of your home, pushing the HVAC system to work harder to preserve the preferred temperature. In severe heat, this can lead to needing AC repair more often as wear and tear grows.

The opposite can happen over the winter. Cooler spaces like a basement will hold onto cooler air, which will eventually make its way into the rest of your home. Leaving the fan setting on will sometimes pull more cold air upward, increasing the amount of heating you need to remain warm.

If you’re still trying to determine if you should use the fan/on setting, remember that every home and family’s comfort needs will vary. 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 stressful on the family. Leaving the fan on is more likely to enhance indoor air quality, helping your family breathe easier.

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