Atlantans find fan-tastic ways of coping with the heat

Hot temperatues and a poor economy are causing Atlanta area residents to find alternative ways of keeping cool.

Buying floor fans seems to be the best choice.

In the past few weeks, Restoration Hardware in Buckhead has been experiencing a spike in ceiling fans, tabletop fans, and desk fans purchases.

“They have really been moving,” said Whitney Hardee. “Fans that have been in our store all year have been sold in the past few weeks. I have taken at least three or four ceiling fan orders in the past week.”

She said the fact that the floor fans are on sale may have something to do with how they are moving, but she does believe the hot temperatures are also a motivator.

Gurtej Gill of Gill Heating and Air said many people are selecting to buy floor fans because of the economy.

“AC repair is not cheap,” he said. “The average service call ranges between $150-$400 and replacement of a whole unit could costs anywhere between $2,000 to $4,000.”

The high temperatures have been keeping him really busy. In the past two weeks his company has received six to eight calls a day.

“Customers have been trying to patch up their system, trying to make them repairable,” he said.

Others have been electing to hold off on repairs all together.

Tyre Sperling of College Park found himself in the same position on Tuesday.

“I came home from work Tuesday and it felt like a sauna in my house,” he said. “I took a look at my thermostat and it read 93 degrees.”

But he was lucky. Thanks to the home warranty he purchased when he bought his house nine months ago, he was able to get his single unit fixed the very next morning.

“All I had to pay was $55 for the contractor to come out,” he said.

But Gill thinks buying floor fans is a bad idea, even though he understands.

“Floor and ceiling fans just do not serve the purpose,” he said.

Temperatures are pretty normal.

“I have been in this business for about 10 years and in business for myself since 2003. In the past, March and April are normally the busier times of the season,” he said. “But because we are really having a spring for the first time in a long time. The hot weather is happening almost two months late.”

Rob Handel of the National Weather Service agrees.

“It is not abnormal for us to be in the 90s. The normal for this time of year is around 87 degrees,” he said adding that Thursday the high was 92. “The record high for this time of year is 101 so we are in the range of typical temperatures.”

Handel does admit that it is a little early to be seeing temperatures creeping up to the 100s, and for the next few days temperatures will be in the upper 90s.

“The challenge is for those with health problems and those that work outside,” he said. “Because of the highs in the 90s, many of our lows are falling just to the mid to upper 70s, meaning they are having less of a chance for their bodies to cool down.”

He advises taking precautions, especially for those without air conditioning.