This guide contains:

Background on ceiling fans
Features to look for in ceiling fans
How to find the best ceiling fan for you

This independent guide was written to help you understand the basics of ceiling fans, and to help you find the best ceiling fan for you. We do not sell any ceiling fan ourselves, so you can be confident that all of the information in this guide is independent and unbiased.

Background on ceiling fans
Millions of homes across the country have ceiling fans, and for good aesthetic and practical reasons. Ceiling fans are creative accessories that can complement and add artistic flair to any room, and they can also help in the cooling and heating of your home. The average ceiling fan is very efficient and uses only about as much power as a 100W bulb at full speed. Running the ceiling fan during the summer will help cool your home or room, and operating the ceiling fan in reverse during the winter helps circulate warm air around the home or room.

Buying a ceiling fan doesn't require running across town to a home improvement store anymore. You can now buy just about whatever ceiling fan you want online, in whatever price range, style, and size you want. And while ceiling fans are generally fairly standard appliances without a huge range of differences among brands and models, there are some differences among ceiling fans and some features to pay particular attention to when comparing ceiling fans and the sites that sell them.

Features to look for in ceiling fans
Since ceiling fans are both decorative and functional, you need to consider several features to compare ceiling fans effectively.

Style- ceiling fans come in a variety of aeshtetic styles, including kids, sports, antique, contemporary, traditional, tropical, Victorian, classic, rustic, and other specialty styles.

Finish- ceiling fans come in a variety of finishes, including painted colors, antique brass, polished brass, gold, bronze, copper, nickel, pewter, and various wood types such as oak, birch, cherry, bamboo, pine, ash, maple, walnut and so on.

Lighting- ceiling fans can come without any lighting element, or can incorporate one or several bulbs and lighting fixtures in the design. Some ceiling fans have 'uplights', which are bulbs that direct light upward toward the ceiling.