(NewsUSA) - Believe it or not, cooler weather is on the way. For most parts of the country, mid-September brings a break in the heat, and signals a good time to turn off your air conditioner and turn on your ceiling fan to start saving energy and money. This Sept. 18 marks the third annual National Ceiling Fan Day (NCFD).

Many major ceiling fan manufacturers, the American Lighting Association (ALA) and leading energy-conservation groups invite everyone to join the fight to reduce energy consumption by turning off their central cooling systems and relying on ceiling fans to save trillions of kilowatt hours of energy consumption.

As an extra incentive to participate in the energy-saving effort, many fan retailers are offering discounts to consumers in conjunction with NCFD. You can find a list of local ALA-member fan retailers at AmericanLightingAssoc.com.

If every American participates in NCFD by turning off their AC and using fans for their cooling needs, the United States will save enough energy to power the entire city of New York for months. And it saves money too. Operating a fan can cost as little as $1 per month. That is quite a savings compared to approximately $100 per month to run an AC unit in a typical home.

Initiated by fan manufacturer Fanimation, NCFD is supported by other ALA-member fan manufacturers, including Casablanca Fan Company, Craftmade, Emerson Ceiling Fans, Hunter Fan Company, Kichler, Matthews Fan Company, Minka-Aire, Monte Carlo Ceiling Fan Company, Progress Lighting, Quorum International, Regency Ceiling Fans, Savoy House, Sea Gull Lighting, The Modern Fan Co., Vaxcel International and Westinghouse Lighting, as well as The Home Depot, Lowe's Companies, Inc. and the ALA. Many of the nation's leaders in energy conservation and efficiency are also on board. Those supporters include the U.S. Green Building Council, Alliance to Save Energy, Affordable Comfort, Inc., Environmental and Energy Study Institute and Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

For more information on how to save energy with ceiling fans and for a list of ALA-member fan retailers and manufacturers, go to AmericanLightingAssoc.com.