Ceiling fans can provide comfort and help you save on your energy bills, depending on when and how you operate them. In the winter, your ceiling fan can help improve your comfort. Most fans have a switch that allows you to reverse the motor and operate the ceiling fan in the opposite direction. This produces a gentle updraft, which forces warm air near the ceiling down into the living space.In the summer, check to make sure your fan is blowing air downward to help you feel cooler. On hotter days, dialing up the thermostat by only two degrees and using your ceiling fan can lower air conditioning costs by up to 14% over the course of the cooling season. And remember: Ceiling fans cool only people, not the room, so when you leave the room, turn the ceiling fan off.