The first notable ceiling fan was created in India during the 17th century using a cord and palm leaves or cloth. The device, called a punkah, was moved manually by servants when they pulled the cord. It wasn’t until 1860 that the first ceiling fan, which had now progressed to function with steam energy power, was installed in the United States. Twelve years later, a German immigrant named Philip Diehl used a sewing machine motor to invent the electric ceiling fan. Diehl’s technology brought us to where we are today.
These early inventors didn’t realize how important the ceiling fan would become. Currently, this valuable product is commonly used to provide the comfort of a cool breeze. But, more importantly, it also helps consumers save on electric bills and has minimal environmental impact.
This article will delve into the ceiling fans’ purpose related to home and energy use. Plus, this complete guide covers the color and design options available, the top brands, and what you need to know before making a ceiling fan purchase.
Why Should I Install Ceiling Fans Throughout My Home’s Living Spaces?
Cooling and heating account for 47% of energy use in a U.S. household. If you have an air conditioning unit, a simple way to practice energy conservation is to install ceiling fans throughout your home’s living spaces to help your air conditioner and furnace work more efficiently. This addition can lower your electricity use and, in turn, could save you money on your utility bills.
Ceiling fans use substantially less energy than your air conditioner, allowing you to increase your thermostat’s setting during the warm months by four degrees Fahrenheit without experiencing a reduction in comfort. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you can save as much as one percent per degree on your utility bill, which will add up over time.
What If I Live in a Cold Climate?
Many people don’t realize that most ceiling fans come with a reversible motor. This function allows you to reverse the direction the blades spin, which will help add a little warmth to your home. Switching your fan blades to spin in the clockwise direction on the low setting will push the natural rising warm air from the ceiling back down to circulate around the room.
This warm air circulation can save you as much as 15% on your electric bill by improving your heating system’s efficiency. Better yet, an ENERGY STAR® rated ceiling fan is 20% more efficient than conventional models.
How Much Electricity Does My Ceiling Fan Use?
When you run your heating and air conditioning unit to regulate your home’s temperature, you’re using a large amount of energy. That energy is created by burning fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas. This burning leads to carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming, acid rain, smog, soot, and toxic air emissions.
Utilizing ceiling fans is an incredibly impactful way to assist with energy conservation. They can help with the efficacy of your home’s temperature regulation and potentially eliminate the need to use an air conditioner altogether. When used throughout your home’s living spaces, ceiling fans are the most energy-efficient way to control the temperature year-round.
What Does a Fan’s Efficacy, or Fan Efficiency Grade, Tell You?
Ceiling fans are the most efficient fan style for air circulation. A fan’s efficacy is the efficiency rating or grade that it earns. The rating measures how much airflow is created compared to the amount of electrical energy used.
All ceiling fans have an efficiency rating that measures airflow in cubic feet per minute (CFM) per one watt (W) of electrical power used. The higher the CFM, the more energy-efficient the fan is. The most efficient ceiling fans will have a high-speed airflow rating of over 100 cubic feet per minute per watt.
Are Ceiling Fans Outdated?
You may have heard from interior design shows that ceiling fans are out of style. They were indeed on a downward trend for a while. But, don’t worry — thanks to their functionality, ceiling fans have made a comeback and are still widely used in homes.
There are now ceiling fans to match just about every decorating trend. This improvement comes thanks to designers who understand the importance of an equally functional and visually appealing product. There truly is a ceiling fan to match any style from ultra-contemporary to vintage industrial or cozy cottage themes. Let’s take a look at a few of the options:
Popular Color Options for Ceiling Fans
If you’re looking for a ceiling fan that blends in, a white ceiling fan is the most traditional option. You can’t go wrong with this choice as it’s elegant, simple, and timeless. However, since modern ceiling fans have become increasingly stylish, the new trend is selecting a fan you can use as an accent for the room. There are now many color options.
Some popular color options include:
• Matte black
• Brushed nickel
• Satin nickel
• Oil rubbed bronze
• Pewter
• Brass
• Wood tones
• Shades of reds, blues, and greens
Modern Ceiling Fan Design Options
Some ceiling models come with reversible blades, meaning one side of the fan blade is one color, and the other side of the blade is another. For example, the blades may come in white on one side and a wood tone on the other side. You then decide which side you’d like to see based on your color preference.
One benefit of reversible blades is that you can install the fan before settling on your color preference. You can view both options to determine which color choice compliments your room best. Then you go with your favorite option for easy decorating.
Another benefit to choosing a ceiling fan with reversible blades is that fans can last you many years. Suppose you decide to paint or remodel that room down the line, and the fan blade colors no longer work with your decor. In that case, you may be able to keep the same ceiling fan by using the other color on your fan’s reversible blades.
Coordinate your ceiling fans with the rooms you’re planning to install them in, not with each other. Finding a fan in a style that compliments your space allows you to use it as decor the same way you would your light fixtures. In fact, many modern ceiling fans come with light kits. A good number of those even have energy-efficient lighting with dimmable LED lights.
Are you looking for a new chandelier for your dining room? No problem. There’s a ceiling fan for that. Are you looking for a glam ceiling fan light for your living room? You can find one of those too. Don’t limit yourself to indoor ceiling fans, either. There are indoor/outdoor models as well as outdoor ceiling fans.
And if you’re concerned that it will be too difficult to control your flush mount ceiling fan because your ceiling is too high, don’t be. Pull chains are no longer the only way to operate ceiling fans. Most now come with remote controls. Some even work with wifi.
The first notable ceiling fan was created in India during the 17th century using a cord and palm leaves or cloth. The device, called a punkah, was moved manually by servants when they pulled the cord. It wasn’t until 1860 that the first ceiling fan, which had now progressed to function with steam energy power, was installed in the United States. Twelve years later, a German immigrant named Philip Diehl used a sewing machine motor to invent the electric ceiling fan. Diehl’s technology brought us to where we are today.
These early inventors didn’t realize how important the ceiling fan would become. Currently, this valuable product is commonly used to provide the comfort of a cool breeze. But, more importantly, it also helps consumers save on electric bills and has minimal environmental impact.
This article will delve into the ceiling fans’ purpose related to home and energy use. Plus, this complete guide covers the color and design options available, the top brands, and what you need to know before making a ceiling fan purchase.
Why Should I Install Ceiling Fans Throughout My Home’s Living Spaces?
Cooling and heating account for 47% of energy use in a U.S. household. If you have an air conditioning unit, a simple way to practice energy conservation is to install ceiling fans throughout your home’s living spaces to help your air conditioner and furnace work more efficiently. This addition can lower your electricity use and, in turn, could save you money on your utility bills.
Ceiling fans use substantially less energy than your air conditioner, allowing you to increase your thermostat’s setting during the warm months by four degrees Fahrenheit without experiencing a reduction in comfort. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you can save as much as one percent per degree on your utility bill, which will add up over time.
What If I Live in a Cold Climate?
Many people don’t realize that most ceiling fans come with a reversible motor. This function allows you to reverse the direction the blades spin, which will help add a little warmth to your home. Switching your fan blades to spin in the clockwise direction on the low setting will push the natural rising warm air from the ceiling back down to circulate around the room.
This warm air circulation can save you as much as 15% on your electric bill by improving your heating system’s efficiency. Better yet, an ENERGY STAR® rated ceiling fan is 20% more efficient than conventional models.
How Much Electricity Does My Ceiling Fan Use?
When you run your heating and air conditioning unit to regulate your home’s temperature, you’re using a large amount of energy. That energy is created by burning fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas. This burning leads to carbon dioxide emissions which contribute to global warming, acid rain, smog, soot, and toxic air emissions.
Utilizing ceiling fans is an incredibly impactful way to assist with energy conservation. They can help with the efficacy of your home’s temperature regulation and potentially eliminate the need to use an air conditioner altogether. When used throughout your home’s living spaces, ceiling fans are the most energy-efficient way to control the temperature year-round.
What Does a Fan’s Efficacy, or Fan Efficiency Grade, Tell You?
Ceiling fans are the most efficient fan style for air circulation. A fan’s efficacy is the efficiency rating or grade that it earns. The rating measures how much airflow is created compared to the amount of electrical energy used.
All ceiling fans have an efficiency rating that measures airflow in cubic feet per minute (CFM) per one watt (W) of electrical power used. The higher the CFM, the more energy-efficient the fan is. The most efficient ceiling fans will have a high-speed airflow rating of over 100 cubic feet per minute per watt.
Are Ceiling Fans Outdated?
You may have heard from interior design shows that ceiling fans are out of style. They were indeed on a downward trend for a while. But, don’t worry — thanks to their functionality, ceiling fans have made a comeback and are still widely used in homes.
There are now ceiling fans to match just about every decorating trend. This improvement comes thanks to designers who understand the importance of an equally functional and visually appealing product. There truly is a ceiling fan to match any style from ultra-contemporary to vintage industrial or cozy cottage themes. Let’s take a look at a few of the options:
Popular Color Options for Ceiling Fans
If you’re looking for a ceiling fan that blends in, a white ceiling fan is the most traditional option. You can’t go wrong with this choice as it’s elegant, simple, and timeless. However, since modern ceiling fans have become increasingly stylish, the new trend is selecting a fan you can use as an accent for the room. There are now many color options.
Some popular color options include:
• Matte black
• Brushed nickel
• Satin nickel
• Oil rubbed bronze
• Pewter
• Brass
• Wood tones
• Shades of reds, blues, and greens
Modern Ceiling Fan Design Options
Some ceiling models come with reversible blades, meaning one side of the fan blade is one color, and the other side of the blade is another. For example, the blades may come in white on one side and a wood tone on the other side. You then decide which side you’d like to see based on your color preference.
One benefit of reversible blades is that you can install the fan before settling on your color preference. You can view both options to determine which color choice compliments your room best. Then you go with your favorite option for easy decorating.
Another benefit to choosing a ceiling fan with reversible blades is that fans can last you many years. Suppose you decide to paint or remodel that room down the line, and the fan blade colors no longer work with your decor. In that case, you may be able to keep the same ceiling fan by using the other color on your fan’s reversible blades.
Coordinate your ceiling fans with the rooms you’re planning to install them in, not with each other. Finding a fan in a style that compliments your space allows you to use it as decor the same way you would your light fixtures. In fact, many modern ceiling fans come with light kits. A good number of those even have energy-efficient lighting with dimmable LED lights.
Are you looking for a new chandelier for your dining room? No problem. There’s a ceiling fan for that. Are you looking for a glam ceiling fan light for your living room? You can find one of those too. Don’t limit yourself to indoor ceiling fans, either. There are indoor/outdoor models as well as outdoor ceiling fans.
And if you’re concerned that it will be too difficult to control your flush mount ceiling fan because your ceiling is too high, don’t be. Pull chains are no longer the only way to operate ceiling fans. Most now come with remote controls. Some even work with wifi.