A ceiling fan can be a really useful fixture in any home. They can cut your power bills and still keep you nice and cool. But buying one can be more complicated than it might at first appear.
You can’t just go to the home store and buy any old ceiling fan. It’s got to be the right size for your room, and it should have the features and functionality you need. Ideally, it’ll even look good and blend in with the rest of your stuff. Here’s what you need to know when you’re shopping for a ceiling fan for your home.
Measure the Room First
Before you start shopping for a ceiling fan, measure the room where you’re going to hang it. Find the square footage of the room by measuring the length and width of the room and multiplying those two numbers together.
If it’s a room with a weird or uneven shape, divide it into smaller shapes and find the square footage of those shapes, then add them all up. You can find the square footage of a triangle by multiplying the height of the triangle by half the length of the base. You can find the square footage of a circle by multiplying the square of the radius by pi, which is 3.14.
You need to know the square footage of the room in order to select the right size fan for the space. The smaller the room, the smaller the fan, usually. For a room smaller than 75 square feet, you’ll want a fan no bigger than 36 inches (but probably considerably smaller).
For a room sized 75 to 150 square feet, you’ll want a fan 36 to 42 inches wide. For rooms 150 to 225 square feet, you’ll want a fan that’s 44 to 50 inches wide.
For rooms 225 to 400 square feet, you’ll want a fan 50 to 54 inches wide. You might even want a bigger fan than that in some very large rooms. It’s often best to hang multiple large room ceiling fans in very large rooms.
Put Some Thought into What Features You’ll Need
Ceiling fans today come with all kinds of features that make them easier to use. Consider what room you’ll be putting the fan in and how you’ll use it. If you’re hanging a fan in your bedroom, maybe you want a remote control so you can control the fan and light fixture from your bed. Perhaps you want a dimmable light fixture so you can wind down better at night.
You can buy ceiling fans with smart connectivity, so you can control them from your phone. Do you want a switch on the wall to turn your ceiling fan on and off when you go in and out of a room? You can buy fans with wireless wall controls so you just need to install the control box itself, and don’t need to worry about any wiring.
At the very least, make sure you get a fan with reversible blades. Switching the direction of your fan blades in the winter to clockwise can help you feel warmer by keeping warm air from floating up to the ceiling. You may also want to consider getting a fan with a light fixture, even a dimmable one, especially if you’re hanging it in an area with little natural light.
Consider the Look You’re Going For
Of course, style is as important as functionality when it comes to choosing the right ceiling fan for your home. You’re going to be looking at this fan every day, so choose something that looks good. There are lots of really nice fans on the market with great designs, so you can definitely find something no matter what style you prefer.
For example, maybe you want something cleaner and more minimalist to match your mid-century modern sensibilities. You can look at metal and wood fans made with just one, two, or three blades.
Maybe you want a more industrial look – consider cage ceiling fans with multiple heads. Maybe you’re choosing a fan for a large great room – a large windmill design might fit in perfectly.
A ceiling fan is kind of a big choice – it’s a pain to install and it’ll be in your home for many years, hopefully. Take your time to choose a fan that can give you years of service, and one you’ll still love looking at years from now.
Also read: Benefits of Choosing Custom Closets for Your Home
