How to properly cool your home with a fan

DAAP Professor Pravin Bhiwapurkar contributes to TIME article on the use of fans in hot weather

Before the advent of air conditioning, the fan was a good way to lower room temperatures; and it still is, as fans require much less electricity as they move air across the body to keep you cool, say experts in a TIME magazine article. 

One of those experts is Pravin Bhiwapurkar, on faculty at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.  

Bhiwapurkar, an associate professor in School of Architecture and Interior Design, is a trusted media resource and is a prolific researcher in the area of heat islands: urban areas where tall buildings and the lack of vegetation impact temperatures.   

The article covers all types of fans — tabletop, standing, window — and the best use, even in coordination with air conditioning. Bhiwapurkar’s contribution to the article focuses on the use of window fans and placement.

Consider timing when you use a window fan, he says. “You want to window fan when it’s cooler outside the home than inside, typically overnight or early morning,” and “direction is also key: the fan should face inward, so it draws the cooler air into your abode and blows it in your direction.”

Read the TIME article.

Feature image at top: iStock/JulieAlexK 

Impact Lives Here

The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.

Related Stories

1

UC doctoral student shares his journey with Spectrum News

July 27, 2026

UC doctoral student Amota Ataneka spoke with Spectrum News about his educational journey. Ataneka, a native of the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, is one of 35 emerging scholars across the United States to win the National Academy of Education/Spencer Dissertation Fellowship.

2

How scammers can persuade you with AI

July 27, 2026

Spectrum News recently dove into how cloning voices with artificial intelligence is making it easier to scam people over the phone. The news outlet spoke with Kimberly Hyun, assistant professor of marketing at UC’s Lindner College of Business, to examine why AI is making it so much easier to trick people.

3

Decade of discovery

July 27, 2026

Every summer, UHP Discover has connected undergraduate students in the University Honors Program (UHP) to a unique array of opportunities in original interdisciplinary research. This year, the program celebrates its 10th anniversary.