Choose the Best Lighted Ceiling Fans for Your Space

If stuffy rooms and uneven heating and cooling are the bane of your existence, making use of a stylish ceiling fan could be the answer to your home design woes! While these fixtures come in a wide range of styles and designs, ceiling fans are even more practical than they are aesthetically pleasing. For energy-conscious and comfort-inclined interior decorators, ceiling fans are a must-have.

For the uninitiated, finding the best ceiling fan for your home can feel like a daunting task. Once you’ve determined the right size fan for your space, you’ll notice each fan comes complete with a range of technical information that can seem esoteric to even the savviest ceiling fixture connoisseur. With variations in motor type, blade number and pitch, airflow, speed, and control types, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly what kind of fan is best for you. Our fan buying guide is the perfect way to shed some light on your most pressing fan questions and help you find your perfect fan like a pro!

Finding the Right Size Ceiling Fan

When searching for ceiling fans, the very first step is determining what size fan you need for your room. Requirements for two ceiling fan dimensions—height and diameter—will vary depending on the size and shape of your room, and while the height of the fixture can frequently be adjusted to account for high or low ceilings, the diameter cannot be altered. For this reason, it’s important to choose a ceiling fan size that will fit in your room. Using a simple formula, and the following ceiling fan size guide, you can pinpoint whether your room requires a small ceiling fan, a large ceiling fan, or whether a more standard size ceiling fan is best.

How to Measure a Ceiling Fan Diameter Span

The diameter of your ceiling fan is a measurement of the span of the blades, and this is the measurement most frequently associated with the fixture.

52” Low Profile Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Fan

What to Look for In Ceiling Fan Blades

When shopping for your ceiling fan, the blades are usually one of the most important features you should consider. Ceiling fan blades come in a huge range of shapes and styles. Some designs are intended to make a grand style statement, while others may be designed for greater efficiency. With a few considerations in mind, you should have no problem finding a ceiling fan that meets both your style and efficiency preferences.

Ceiling Fan Styles & Fan Blade Shapes

Ceiling fan styles today are vast and varied and some of the most striking variance is apparent in the blades themselves. Some modern ceiling fans feature blades bent at unusual angles, have only two blades (or even one!), and streamlined bodies in sleek finishes. Rustic ceiling fans and farmhouse style ceiling fans might showcase weathered finishes or quaint shapes. Industrial ceiling fans tend to have a more rugged or minimalist look and might have more than five blades or a protective cage around the fixture.

When shopping for your ceiling fan, the blades are usually one of the most important features you should consider. Ceiling fan blades come in a huge range of shapes and styles. Some designs are intended to make a grand style statement, while others may be designed for greater efficiency. With a few considerations in mind, you should have no problem finding a ceiling fan that meets both your style and efficiency preferences.

Because of all the various design factors to take into account, no single fan blade configuration can be considered the most efficient. That’s good news because it means you can chose your favorite fan blade shape and still find a fixture that suits your efficiency needs! The following styles feature some of our favorite blade shapes and make a big impact in any room.

Windmill fan: This rustic look is a perfect centerpiece for a breezy living room with a farmhouse or lodge theme. This fixture has lots of blades to mimic the classic windmill shape, and they usually have a higher pitch for increased airflow. Indoor fixtures will frequently have wooden blades, while outdoor versions usually have metal blades (which sometimes have a faux-wood finish).

Turbine blade fan: Like the windmill fan, turbine blade fans create drama with lots of blades arranged at a steep pitch. This style of fixture is heavily industrial and can most often be found in sleek metallic finishes.

Earlier, we mentioned your fan’s airflow rating and how that number can help you understand just how powerful your fan actually is. This rating is referred to as the fan’s CFM airflow, and refers to the Cubic Feet per Minute of air moved by the fan. A fan’s CFM airflow is calculated when the fan is moving at its maximum speed, and higher numbers represent more air movement. This number can vary greatly between fans; for example, a random sampling of some popular Shades of Light ceiling fans have CFM airflow ratings ranging from roughly 2000 to over 6000. If the fan you like has a particularly high CFM airflow rating, be sure to also check the available speeds of the motor, which will give you the option to adjust the fan to your perfect airflow level. Higher airflows tend to be useful in outdoor settings such as porches or patios where they can help keep bugs like mosquitoes away, but may be a nuisance at max speeds indoors depending on your preferences.

The second number you should look out for is your fan’s CFM/W, or Cubic Feet per Minute per Watt. This number is an exact measurement of the fan’s efficiency; the higher the number, the more efficient the fixture is. This number is not necessarily directly correlated with airflow across all fixtures—a fan with a CFM airflow of 2050 and one with a CFM airflow of 6500 can both have the same CFM/W rating. A fan should have a CFM/W of 75 or more to be considered an efficient fixture.

Light kits can also add an extra layer of style to your fan in addition to bringing in a new layer of light. Modern ceiling fans with lights will frequently have slim, minimalist lamps. Farmhouse ceiling fans with lights may showcase a more traditional silhouette with each bulb enclosed in individual shades. Industrial fans with lights are likely to make use of classic warehouse shades. Whatever your style, bringing in a new light source with your fan is a great way to maximize your fan experience.

While ceiling fan light kits do come in configurations for every available lamp type, LED ceiling fan lights are the most efficient and the most likely to carry an ENERGY STAR rating. If your fan doesn’t come with integrated LEDs, you can add your own LED bulbs to further reduce energy consumption.

Multiple Fan Speeds

60” Brockton Indoor/Outdoor Ceiling Fan Safety Rating: Wet Rated

If you live near the water, you’ll also want to be sure that you chose a ceiling fan suitable for coastal environments, which are harsher and harder on fixtures than other environments.
Remember that while any outdoor fixture can be hung indoors, indoor fixtures should never be hung outside; doing so can cause damage to homes and to the fixture itself.

Installing New Fans

When you are ready to address ceiling fan installation, it’s important to consult a licensed electrician who will know how to install a ceiling fan safely and accurately. Because ceiling fans are heavier than the average light fixture, special considerations should be made concerning ceiling fan wiring to ensure the location is strong enough to support the fan and the wiring doesn’t pose a hazard. Ceiling fan assembly is usually minimal and requires only attaching the blades to the motor but hanging the fan can be more complicated; safety is crucial. Your new fan will come boxed with all the necessary parts and instructions so your electrician can install your new fixture with ease.

How to Balance a Ceiling Fan & Fix Wobbling Blades

Nobody likes a wobbling fan, but unfortunately if it has been some time since your fixture was installed, it’s possible for the fan to fall out of balance, resulting in a noisy nuisance. Blade balance is important for keeping your fixture operating at its best. To potentially fix a wobbling fan, first turn off the fixture; once it has come to a complete stop, check the fixture for any significant dust build-up or loosened attachments. Gently clean away dust and debris and tighten any loose blades, brackets, or mounting hardware. If any adjustments are made, turn the fan back on to see if the problem has resolved.

If your fan still seems unbalanced, you can use the fan balancing kit usually included with the fixture to rebalance the fan. To balance your ceiling fan, attach your balancing clip to the center of one of the blades along the lowest edge. Turn your fan back on to see if the balance has improved. If not, move the clip to the next blade, and so on, until you locate the unbalanced blade. Once you have pinpointed the problem blade, move the clip up and down the blade, testing fan function after each movement, until you find the positioning that best corrects the unbalanced wobble. Attach an included weight centered and on top of the blade in this position and remove the clip. If you’re still not satisfied with the balance of the fixture, you can use this technique as needed to adjust other blades.

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