8-foot ceilings

Most fans are designed for 8-foot ceilings, even when a light fixture is attached. If you have an 8 or 9 foot ceiling, install the fan with the pole/downrod that comes with your fan.

Lower than 8-foot ceiling

You must still maintain 7 feet of clearance between the floor and your fan blades. You must use a hugger-style fan. Also known as a snugger or low profile fan. Some companies make “low ceiling adapters” that will help to shorten the fan for low ceilings.
Low profile fan will only raise your fan 3-4 inches. IF your ceiling is lower than 7 feet 9 inches, it is unlikely that you will be able to pass the 7-foot clearance rule.
One word of caution: fans need space between their blades and the ceiling in order to perform optimally. ALL hugger-style fans have significantly reduced air circulation.

Higher than 8 Feet

On high ceilings, a longer pole/downrod is recommended. Depending on the ceiling height, position your fan so that its blades are 8-10 feet from the floor. The poles/downrods for each brand of fan are slightly different and they are SELDOM interchangeable.

Ceiling fans, like rooms, come in different sizes. To get the most air movement and comfort from you ceiling fan, the following guidelines will help you choose the proper size.

Bathroom, hallways, walk-in closets
(very small rooms, smaller than 8×8)

Use a small fan, approximately 30 inch diameter.

Breakfast nook, bathroom, laundry (small room, 8×8)

If you can find one, a 36-inch diameter fan would be great. Be sure to measure any cabinets and doors to make sure nothing will swing out and hit your ceiling fan.

Small bedroom, kitchen (medium sized room, up to 12×12)

A medium sized fan, approximately 42-inch diameter is good for rooms of this size.

Large bedrooms, family rooms, living rooms, etc
(large room, 12×12 or larger)

Once a room hits the 12 foot x 12 foot size, it is time to get a large ceiling fan. Look for a fan that is 50-54 inches in diameter.

Large living rooms, great rooms
(very large rooms, 20×20 and larger)

Most fan manufacturers produce fans that span 60 inches or more. As fans get large, they will have longer, heavier fan blades. 60-inch (or larger) fans can circulate air over a very large area, but they do it slower.

For maximum efficiency, your ceiling fan should be placed as close to the center of the room as possible. The tips of the fan blades should be at least 18 inches away from any wall. If the size of your room exceeds 20 feet, consider using multiple fans to ensure that the entire room gets a good breeze.

Keep in mind, that not all ceiling fans are created equal. Although you can buy a 52-inch ceiling from ValueMart for $60, does not mean that it is as strong or as reliable as a top-quality 52-inch Casablanca ceiling fan.

With ceiling fans, you get what you pay for.  A ceiling fan from a well-known manufacturer will come with a lifetime warranty, some come with free in-home warranties, and will often keep your family cool for decades.

How Ceiling Fans Work

In warm weather, a ceiling fan should spin counter-clockwise and push air downward. This creates a wind chill effect and keeps the occupants of a room cool. This simple flow of air can make it feel cooler by 4 degrees or more! This also means that if you are using an air conditioner in the same room, you can set the thermostat at a higher temperature and still feel cool.

Keep in mind, however, that the wind chill effect doesn’t work if there is nobody to feel it. When you leave the room, turn off the ceiling fan to save electricity.

Believe it or not, a ceiling fan can be quite useful during cold winter months as well. Most ceiling fans have a reverse switch on the motor housing that will change the direction that the fan blades turn. In reverse mode, the fan will push air up toward the ceiling. In the winter, warm air will rise and stay near the ceiling. When you reverse your ceiling fan, the warm air will be pushed up and across your ceiling, then down the walls to mix with the cold are near the floor. This results in more even heating. Better heat circulation means spending less money on your heating bills and reduces the common problems of “sweating” that some homes experience to to heavy condensation on windows.

It’s Your Money

Ceiling fans can help solve other cold weather problems as well. For example, some two-story houses have open stairways. Since heat rises, the 2nd floor can get hot, while downstairs (where the thermostat normally is) can stay cold. As a result, your furnace will constantly stay on, pumping more warm air into the 1st floor, which will continue to rise to the 2nd floor. Mounting a ceiling fan at the top of the stairway will help mix the air more evenly, equalizing the temperature in the house and cut down on heating costs.

Come into our ceiling fan showroom, purchase a qualifying fan, install it, send in the rebate form. Hawaii Energy will give you $40 for every Energy Star ceiling fan that you install in your home.  With dozens of models to choose from, our helpful staff can help you find a fan that fits your personal style and the decor of your home.

Energy Star qualified ceiling fans are built with efficient motors and blade designs and will circulate more air using 50% less electricity than non-qualified fans.

Switching from an air conditioner to a ceiling fan can save you more than $20 per month in electricity!

Here are the numbers:

• Running 1 Energy Star-qualified ceiling fan on high speed for 4 hours per day, all month will cost approximately $2.16
• Running 1 medium sized air conditioner for 4 hours per day, all month will cost approximately $27

*Some restrictions apply.  For complete details, please visit the Hawaii Energy website.