As the weather is cooling off, you are probably wondering about how you’ll prepare your heating and cooling. After all, HVAC bills frequently add up to a big portion of your monthly electric bill. To learn new ways to save, some owners take a closer look at their thermostat. Maybe there’s a setting they can use to improve efficiency?

The bulk of thermostats come with a ‘Fan’ or ‘Fan On’ setting. But if the fan is going during a typical cycle, what will the fan setting offer for your HVAC system? This guide will help. We’ll share precisely what the fan setting is and whether you can use it to cut costs over the summer or winter.

My Thermostat Has a Fan Setting?

For the majority of thermostats, the fan setting signifies that the HVAC blower fan stays on. Some furnaces will run at a low level in this setting, but in most cases heating or cooling isn’t being produced. The ‘Auto’ setting, in contrast, will turn on the fan over a heating or cooling cycle and switch it off after the cycle is complete.

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

Advantages to utilizing the Fan/On setting:

  • You can keep the temperature in every room more uniform by allowing the fan to keep running.
  • Indoor air quality will be highest because continuous airflow will keep passing airborne particles into the air filter.
  • A smaller number of start-stop cycles for the system’s fan helps lengthen its life span. Since the air handler is usually part of the furnace, this means you can avoid needing furnace repair.

Disadvantages to utilizing the Fan/On setting:

  • A constant fan can increase your energy bills by a small margin.
  • Constant airflow can clog your air filter in a shorter amount of time, increasing the frequency you will want 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 stick around 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 keep up with the desired temperature. In extreme heat, this may lead to needing AC repair more often as wear and tear gets worse.

The opposite can happen during the winter. Cooler spaces such as a basement will hold onto cooler air, which can eventually flow into the rest of your home. Leaving the fan running will sometimes pump more cold air upward, increasing the amount of heating you need to stay warm.

If you’re still trying to determine if you should try the fan/on setting, remember that every home and family’s comfort needs are different. Leaving the HVAC system’s fan on could work for you if:

Someone in your household has 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 has 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 consistently refreshing each room’s ventilation.