What You Need to Know Before You Buy
Hands down, the most popular type of ceiling fan is any kind of ceiling fan with lights.
The advantage of this type of ceiling fan is obvious: it not only circulates air, but also provides illumination.
A ceiling fan with lights is both practical and decorative. It allows you to live more comfortably in your home while brightening your space and adding style. Some models are designed to light up an entire room, while others provide supplementary or décor lighting. Often, the design of the lighting mount and bulbs are what sets a fan apart, giving it a distinctive look.
When shopping for a ceiling fan with lights, expect to find many different types to choose from. There are indoor ceiling fans with lights for every room in the house, from the bathroom to the great room. And if you intend to install your fan outdoors, you'll want to narrow your search to outdoor ceiling fans with lights.
Variety of lighting options and style choices
Ceiling fans can feature any number of lighting options, including candelabra base bulbs and fluorescent lights. You can also choose from an impressive variety of models that feature halogen or LED light bulbs.
The wide selection of styles and finishes ensures that, with a bit of searching, you will find the right fan to suit the decor and lighting requirements of any room in your home. The assortment of styles includes ceiling fans with uplights, chandelier ceiling fans and flush-mounted hugger fans.
Energy efficiency
Modern ceiling fans are designed with energy-efficiency in mind. By creating airflow, they can help you cut your monthly energy bill by reducing the need for air conditioning summer and heating in winter. And when it comes to lighting, there are energy-efficient options, including LED lighting.
Integration with smart technology
Finally, many models incorporate smart technology that allows you to turn on and off both the fan and light—remotely and on a timer.
Some ceiling fans with lights can be synchronized with home appliances, including heating and cooling units, for added functionality and cost savings.
Unclutter your space
A ceiling fan with lights contributes both to your room's temperature and illumination. If you're looking for a way to eliminate the need for a floor or desk-mounted fan, a ceiling fan is a great option. Similarly, a ceiling fan with lights can replace unwanted lighting, such a ceiling light, wall sconce or floor lamp.
How to Choose the Right Ceiling Fan
To choose the fan that best meets your needs, you will probably want to consider some of the basic features of ceiling fans with lights.
Fan style and finish
Ceiling fans are usually made of bronze, nickel, chrome, brass or stainless steel. Various finishes can be applied to give the fan a specific decorative flair.
White, black and gold finishes give your fan a classic look. White and black will seldom clash with your existing decor and are usually safe to use if your fan must blend well with a variety of accessories and furnishings.
Gold is often a good fit for rooms that have one type of decor or where a more mature look is desired. A matte black finish creates a contemporary vibe that matches especially well with modern and art deco styles and is not likely to clash with any other type of decor.
Ceiling fans that are made of brass, bronze, nickel and pewter have an aged appearance, and might be the ideal choice if you're going for an antique or a vintage look. Chrome and stainless steel finishes have a sleek appearance that designers frequently use to create a modern ambiance.
Lighting options
Ceiling fans can be equipped with handheld or wall-mounted remote controls that allow you to easily change fan and lighting settings from a distance.
A ceiling fan that is light-kit compatible may use LED, halogen, incandescent or fluorescent bulbs. The light kit may be included with the purchase, or it may need to be bought separately. Some styles of ceiling fans are equipped with dimmers that offer more precise control of lighting intensity.
Ceiling fans with LED lights tend to be particularly attractive to the energy-reduction minded. LED lighting is 80 percent more efficient than other lighting technologies. Therefore, they generate far less heat waste – and heat is the last thing you want your ceiling fan to be producing. After all, a ceiling fan is a cooling device for your home, not a heater.
Blade length and style
Most ceiling fans have between 3 and 6 blades that can be as short as 22 inches and as long as 96 inches. Blade styles include propeller, curved, flat and elliptical.
Ceiling fans that have reversible blades can work with your home's heating and cooling units to cut your utility bills in half. To reduce cooling costs, run your ceiling fan in a counterclockwise direction during hotter weather. Set the blades of your fan to run clockwise to reduce the cost of heating your home during the winter months.
Indoor ceiling fans with lights
Fans that have a blade span of 30 inches or less are best for use in small rooms and enclosed spaces. For installation in a smaller bedroom, choose a fan with a blade that is between 30 and 48 inches long.
The ideal blade length for a medium-size room is between 48 and 54 inches, which should provide adequate coverage for rooms that measure up to 360 square feet. Rooms that are larger than 400 square feet need fans with a blade length of 56 inches or greater.
Indoor fans can be installed on most ceilings by using different mounting methods. A flush mount is used to install the fan on a flat ceiling that is of normal height. If the room has an angled ceiling, an angled mount will let you install the fan at the correct angle.
To install a fan in a room that has a high ceiling, use downrods to position the fan at a height of 8 to 9 feet above the floor.
Outdoor ceiling fans with lights
Fans that are used outdoors may have blades that measure 72 inches or greater. Outdoor ceiling fans should be weatherproof and should be equipped with moisture-resistant motors.
Indoor ceiling fans should never be used outdoors. Moisture will damage the motor and the blades, and will make it an electrical hazard to run the fan.
Motor type and finish
Some ceiling fans have DC motors that maintain their electric output at a consistent rate. Compared to AC motors, the DC motor can reduce energy consumption by as much as 70 percent.
Motors are available in a wide variety of styles and finishes that include aluminum, copper, brass, bronze, chrome, steel, nickel, pewter, stainless steel and titanium.
Smart ceiling fans with lights
Integration with smart technology provides additional functionality and can result in significant savings. You can use smart technology to program your ceiling fan through an app that you install on your phone or tablet.
Some styles of ceiling fans can be synchronized with your home's climate control appliances to heat and cool cheaply and more efficiently. Smart fans can be programmed to turn on and off at certain times of the day, such as bedtime, to maximize savings and comfort.
Smart technology makes it possible to maintain a relatively constant room temperature by running your fan on a schedule or turning it on and off according to changes in the temperature. Remote control can be paired with smart technology to add functionality and to allow you to control the fan even when you're at work or away on holidays.
Home security
Modern ceiling fans with lights that have built-in motion detectors can make it safe to navigate a dark room without bumping into furniture. This technology can also protect your home from intruders by letting you program your fan to turn its lights on or off when you are not at home.
A Place to Begin
In this section, we describe specific brands and models as a way of illustrating a variety of features. The descriptions are not exhaustive and are only intended to help you find a reasonable starting place for your search.
Choosing your style
The Hugh by Fanimation is an outdoor ceiling fan that has three 52-inch blades and an LED light. The Casablanca Caneel Bay is an indoor/outdoor fan that has 56-inch blades. Stylish ceiling fans with lights from Hunter include the Park View with LED lighting and 52-inch blades, the Swanson with LED lighting and 42-inch blades and the Brunswick with four lights and 52-inch blades.
Energy-efficient options
Hunter's Dempsey Low Profile features a set of four 44-inch blades and a natural wood finish. Its reversible blades and dimmer provide year-round comfort and precise control of lighting levels.
The Hunter Romulus features the quiet-running and energy-efficient Whisper Wind 3 motor and smart technology that allows you to synchronize your fan and home appliances to achieve the best savings and efficiency.
Fanimation's Odyn is available with 84-inch blades for max airflow. This stylish model also comes with LED lighting and a DC motor.
The Fanimation TriAire is a 3-blade indoor/outdoor fan that features a DC motor. It has a reverse switch and a total of 16 speeds and is fully integrated with smart technology via Bluetooth and WiFi.
Casablanca's Quiet Breeze hugger features a 44-inch blade and has three LED lights. The Isotope model by Casablanca is a 5-blade flush-mount ceiling fan that uses halogen bulbs, features a 4-speed AC motor and has a remote with a reverse switch.
Key Takeaways
There's a lot to consider when you're shopping for a ceiling fan with lights. If you have questions, we recommend that you simply call and talk to one of our ceiling fan experts. Here are some essential points to help you make an informed purchase.
It is our sincere hope that this overview of ceiling fans with lights will make it easier for you to find the right ceiling fan for your home or place of business, bringing you closer to making a satisfying purchase.
