Counterclockwise when you want to feel cooler, clockwise and slow when you want the heat back down. That is the whole rule. Everything below is why it works, and how to tell which way yours is turning right now.
The short answer, by season
Stand under the fan and look up. If the blades sweep counterclockwise, the fan is pushing air straight down at you. That is the warm-weather setting. If they sweep clockwise, the fan is pulling air up toward the ceiling and pushing it back down the walls. That is the cold-weather setting, and it should run slowly.
A memory aid that sticks: spring forward, counterclockwise. Fall back, clockwise.
Why the cooling direction works
A ceiling fan does not lower the temperature of a room. It moves air across your skin, which speeds up evaporation and carries heat away from you. The room reads the same on a thermometer; you read several degrees cooler.
The US Department of Energy puts a number on it: with a fan running, you can raise the thermostat by about four degrees and feel the same. That is the real saving, and it only works when the fan pushes air down at you.
Why the reverse direction is not a gimmick
Warm air rises and collects against the ceiling, where nobody is standing. In a room with a standard eight-foot ceiling that layer is a minor annoyance. In a room with a vaulted ceiling or a mezzanine, it is a significant volume of heat doing nothing at all.
Turning the fan slowly clockwise pulls air up through the middle of the room and pushes it outward along the ceiling, where it runs down the walls and rejoins the space you actually occupy. Done gently, you never feel a draft. Done too fast, you get the cooling effect instead, which defeats the point. Lowest speed, always.
How to change it
On any fan with a remote, there is a direction button, usually marked with two curved arrows. Press it with the fan stopped, not while the blades are turning.
On older fans, there is a small switch on the side of the motor housing. You need a step ladder, and the fan must be off and still before you touch it.
Every fan we make reverses from the remote, so you never have to climb.
How to tell which way yours is turning
Do not try to follow a blade with your eye, you will get it wrong. Instead, stand directly underneath and hold your hand up. If you feel a clear downward breeze, it is in cooling mode. If you feel almost nothing under the fan but notice air moving near the walls, it is in the reverse mode.
When to switch
Not by the calendar. The United States spans climates where one house needs cooling in December and another needs the furnace in June. Switch when your heating comes on for the season, and switch back when you start running the air conditioning. If you never heat your home, you never need the reverse direction at all.
Common questions
Does the reverse direction actually save money?
It reduces how hard your heating works by putting warm air back where people are. The size of the saving depends on your ceiling height. A tall or vaulted ceiling sees a real difference; a low flat ceiling sees very little.
Should the fan run when nobody is in the room?
In cooling mode, no. The fan cools people, not rooms, so running it in an empty room uses energy for nothing. In reverse mode it is different, because it is moving heat rather than making a draft.
What speed for the reverse direction?
The lowest one. The goal is to turn the air over slowly, not to create a breeze.
My fan has no direction button. What now?
Look for a small slide switch on the motor housing, above the light kit if there is one. Turn the fan off, let the blades stop completely, then flip it.
Does blade shape matter?
Yes. A blade with a real curved section moves air more efficiently in both directions than a flat plate, which is why our blades are shaped rather than cut straight.
Choosing a fan that does both well
Any fan can reverse. What separates them is whether the reverse direction is usable. A motor that hums or judders at low speed makes the winter setting unpleasant enough that people stop using it. A DC motor turns slowly and quietly, which is the whole point of the feature.
All of our fans run on reversible DC motors and change direction from the remote. If you are still working out which size you need, the sizing guide covers that. Otherwise, the full range is here.