One appliance that can work to promote comfort for your family all year round are ceiling fans. By installing ceiling fans throughout your home, you can lower your utility bills throughout the year. Not all ceiling fans are created equal, though. There are a few different types of fans that you should be aware of.
Standard Ceiling Fan
When most people think about a ceiling fan, they think of the standard ceiling fan. These fans typically feature around four to five blades and can come with or without a light source. Standard ceiling fans can come in a variety of styles with varying downrod lengths.
Low Profile Ceiling Fan
A low-profile ceiling fan is a great choice for rooms with low ceiling heights. Also referred to as a flush-mounted fan or even a hugger fan, these fans are installed directly onto the mounting bracket rather than having a downrod like the standard ceiling fan. A flush-mounted fan provides more ground clearance to promote safety in rooms with a lower ceiling height.
Dual Motor Ceiling Fan
One lesser-known type of ceiling fan is the dual motor ceiling fan. Just as its name suggests, this particular fan is constructed with two different downrods. Each has fan blades attached to it and can be pointed in various directions. Additionally, each fan can be run at its own speed to offer more customized usage options.
Outdoor Ceiling Fans
Not all ceiling fans can be used outdoors. In fact, indoor fans that come into contact with too much moisture can result in fan blades that begin to bend and collapse, rendering the unit unusable. When you would like to have a ceiling fan outdoors, such as on your patio, it will need to be specifically rated to be an outdoor ceiling fan.
These outdoor ceiling fans will come in both standard and low-profile options. They will be specifically constructed out of moisture-resistant materials so they can withstand coming into contact with direct rain and excess levels of humidity. There are three different types of ratings that a ceiling fan can be given when it comes to its usage.
Dry Rating
A ceiling fan with a dry rating is going to be specifically designed for indoor use. If an indoor fan comes into contact with moisture, it can damage the fan materials as well as its internal electrical components.
Damp Rating
A ceiling fan with a damp rating will be suitable for areas that don’t come directly into contact with water but are exposed to humidity and indirect moisture. These include rooms like a covered patio, covered outdoor kitchen, sunroom, or screened-in porch.
Wet Rating
A ceiling fan with a wet rating is going to be the most durable fan out there. Specifically built to undergo direct exposure to snow, rain, humidity, and even salty coastal conditions, this type of fan is going to be ideal for most of your outdoor fan needs.
Energy Star Ceiling Fans
Another type of ceiling fan you can invest in is an Energy Star fan. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA for short, gives this classification to ceiling fans that are shown to use between 20 and 30% less energy than what the federal standards require. Energy Star ceiling fans are best to help you save money on your energy bills while decreasing your overall environmental impact.
Smart Ceiling Fans
Smart technology has made its way to ceiling fans. Now, you can purchase smart ceiling fans that can be remotely controlled from your smartphone or other mobile device. Thanks to their wireless connection, you can customize the entire operation of your fan to suit your individual schedule and comfort needs. Some smart ceiling fans even come with adaptive learning technology to help sense when you’re home so it can turn the fan on.
The Various Benefits of Using Ceiling Fans in Your Home
If you don’t already have ceiling fans in your home, it’s high time to consider getting some. They can provide so many different benefits for you and your family. We’re going to go over some of these benefits below to give you a better idea of why you need them.
Lower Utility Bills
One of the most obvious benefits of investing in ceiling fans for your home is that they can help decrease your energy usage throughout the year. In the summer months, you can set your ceiling fans to spin in a counterclockwise direction. This forces air down towards the floor, which creates a windchill effect on your body. In fact, having a ceiling fan running can make a room feel up to 10 degrees colder than it is. When the room feels colder, you’ll run your air conditioning unit less often.
In the wintertime, you can turn your fan to spin in a clockwise direction. This direction will force air from the ceiling outwards towards your walls and down to your floor. This will help to recirculate the heat in each room without providing any forceful winds that would make it feel colder. It’s a lot cheaper just to run your ceiling fan to recirculate heat already generated than having to create more.
Prevent Stagnant Air
When there’s no movement of air in a room, it can start to feel stuffy. A ceiling fan will help to provide the necessary movement to break up that stagnant air. This helps to make the room feel more refreshing and breaks up any lingering odors.
Additional Room Lighting
Another great benefit of ceiling fans is that they can provide you with additional lighting for your room. Many ceiling fans will come with a variety of different lighting options. From LEDs to spotlights, you can choose the best lights to meet your specific room’s needs.
Enhanced Comfort
During those hot summer months, you might still feel hot regardless of how long your air conditioner runs. This is especially common when humidity levels get high. With a ceiling fan, you get that necessary windchill effect to wick away the sweat on your body. This can help increase your comfort level throughout the summertime.
Tips to Choose the Right Ceiling Fan
If you’ve decided that ceiling fans are right for you, we’re going to share some tips to help you choose the best one to fit each room in your home. First and foremost, you want to take into account the area where you’re going to be installing the fan. If you’re installing it indoors, then you’ll want to use a dry-rated fan. However, if you’re installing it outdoors, you’ll want to use a wet-rated fan.
You’ll want to take into account your ceiling height. Typically, eight feet and below can benefit from a low-profile fan. Additionally, you’ll want to be mindful of blade length. Fans under 36 inches are best for small rooms, like bathrooms and nooks. Fans between 42 and 48 inches are recommended for bedrooms, kitchens, and dining rooms.
Reliable Ceiling Fan Service
Finch Home Solutions offers reliable ceiling fan service for the entire Shakopee, MN region. We can also help with all of your electrical repair, installation, knob and tube, wiring, service upgrade, electrical panel, EV charging, light upgrades, fixtures, outlets, whole home rewiring, smoke alarm, and whole home surge protection needs. Contact our friendly office staff today to schedule your next service appointment with one of our licensed electricians.
