Fall officially arrived Sept. 22 but at my house, the unofficial version was a lot more specific. It was 10:34 p.m. Sept. 18.

That’s when it got cold enough inside my house for the furnace to kick in for the first time since the spring. And it reminded me to start looking for a ceiling fan.

Now, you might be wondering why an otherwise rational person would be hunting for a ceiling fan in the winter. Has global warming melted my brain? No -- at least not that I can tell. You might want to ask my wife.

The issue here is that while much of my house is warmed by a forced air gas furnace, my basement uses baseboard electric heat. And that’s where the ceiling fan comes in.

One of the best things you can do to conserve electricity and save yourself some money during cold weather is to use a ceiling fan to circulate the air in rooms warmed by baseboard heat.

Baseboard heaters warm the air in the immediate surroundings. They don’t circulate it. That heat rises along the walls, creating a nice toasty layer of warm air … up by the ceiling, not down where it will keep us comfy. Worse yet, the baseboard heaters keep running because it’s still cold down there.

The difference can be startling. The air temperature at the ceiling can be as much as six degrees warmer than the air near the floor.

Turn on a ceiling fan and all that changes. The circulating air spreads that heat more evenly throughout the room. The temperature difference can drop to as little as two degrees.

You feel warmer while the heater gets to take a break. So does your wallet.

For every degree in temperature you reduce that gradient by, your energy usage will drop by about 2 percent. Cha-ching!

Most ceiling fans have a directional switch for summer/winter operation. One direction pulls cool air up when it’s hot. The other pushes warm air down from the ceiling when it’s cold. Using the right setting increases the fan’s effectiveness.

So I’m off to do what this space is designed to encourage: one simple thing that can conserve energy, save money and help the environment. This week, that one thing is to find a ceiling fan. I encourage you to join me. You’ll thank me when your winter electric bills arrive.

If you can’t get out to your favorite hardware store or lighting shop right away, or you worry that your ceiling isn’t tall enough to mount a fan, use a portable fan, especially one that can tilt. It won’t be as efficient as a ceiling fan, but it will help.