There are a variety of reasons why someone might be interested in buying a new ceiling fan. It could be for aesthetic purposes, cooling reasons, or even to achieve better lighting.
Ceiling fans also use significantly less energy than air conditioners. This means that you can save greatly on your electric bill by using a combination of ceiling fans and air conditioning, instead of solely relying on air conditioning to cool your home.
When you start looking into ceiling fans, however, you’re likely to instantly be inundated with all kinds of varieties and options. This can lead to a lot of consumers feeling overwhelmed.
Luckily for you, we’re here to help. By knowing what factors to consider when choosing a ceiling fan, you’ll be able to narrow down your options and more easily find the right fan for your home.
Are you interested in learning more? If so, then keep on reading and we’ll take you through everything that you need to know!
1. Fan Size
One of the most common ways in which ceiling fans are categorized is by their fan size. Fan size refers to the diameter of the circle that is made by the spinning blades.
The bigger your room is, the bigger the fan you’re going to want. But how can you figure out which is the ideal ceiling fan size for your home?
Most manufacturers will post charts on their sites to help you match the diameter of the fan to the square footage of your room. A good rule of thumb is that you need a 25-40″ blade span for a small room that’s less than eighty square feet. This kind of room is usually a laundry room or bathroom.
A medium-sized room, like a home office or a guest room, would best be served by a 50″ blade span. A living room or large bedroom should have a fan with a blade span between 52″ and 60″. Lastly, any room that’s bigger than 300 square feet should have a ceiling fan with a 62″ or larger blade span.
2. CFM
CFM refers to the cubic feet of airflow per minute. This number will represent the wind chill effect that’s able to make people feel cooler. You will usually want the highest CFM that you can get from the appropriate fan size so that you won’t have to work your air conditioner as hard.
With that said, a ceiling fan with a higher CFM usually comes with a larger motor that needs more energy in order to work. However, this is a small price to pay when compared to how much money is needed to run an air conditioner.
For best results, you should look for fans that have at least 6,000 CFM.
3. Motor
While a fan won’t be as big of an investment as a new air conditioning unit, you still don’t want to waste your money. You should do your research and make sure that you’re paying for a high-quality fan with a good motor and high CFM. A motor that performs well will be able to maintain a high CFM while limiting the amount of wobbling and noise.
And because this is an appliance that could be running for many hours each day, you definitely want to get something that’s going to be relatively quiet.
DC motors are known to be extremely efficient but are also the most expensive. Motors that are bigger than 200 mm are also of good quality and tend to be more affordable.
4. Blades
When you go fan shopping, the blades are usually the first thing that you’ll notice on the device. Whether you want fancy rectangular wood blades or more traditionally designed oak-colored blades, the angle and number of the blades are much more important than shape when it comes to functionality.
Many ceiling fans will come with four or five blades. A lot of consumers simply assume that more blades means that more air is being moved. However, the opposite tends to be true.
That’s because more blades can lead to drag. That’s why, if you were to look at a giant wind turbine, you’re likely to only see three blades. With that said, having four or five blades will likely be more aesthetically pleasing and will also be quieter.
The blade angle is also going to be important. Anything that’s less than a 12-degree angle is going to be too flat to properly move air. You should look for blades that are angled between twelve and fourteen degrees.
5. Efficiency
A ceiling fan that comes with the ENERGY STAR seal is usually going to be a lot more efficient than a ceiling fan that doesn’t come with that seal. Models that come with lights also tend to be a lot more efficient than ceiling fan/light combinations that aren’t ENERGY STAR rated. There are many light companies with no deposit which provide light without any advance deposit.
You should also look at how many watts of electricity are needed in order to operate your fan. The average is around 70 watts. So any number that’s less than that is going to be more efficient.
The Importance of Knowing What Factors to Consider When Choosing a Ceiling Fan
Hopefully, after reading the above article, you now have a better understanding of what factors you should take into account when you’re choosing a ceiling fan for your home.
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