Ceiling Fans Come in a Wide Variety of Designs and Save Energy Too

Well, there’s one less thing to worry about nowadays. During a recent episode of the cable TV show “Myth Busters,” the two Hollywood special effects guys turned urban legend testers took on the story that someone jumping on the bed could be decapitated by coming in contact with the whirling blades of a ceiling fan. This is good news for the ceiling fan industry and especially for those who have a trampoline in their bedroom. Actually, I do know someone who has a trapeze over their bed, but they are in the circus and I don’t think they have a fan. The Myth Busters constructed a head out of that ballistics gel that approximates the density of human flesh, and then they catapulted the thing into a variety of ceiling fans. Nothing happened with the wooden fans, not even a scratch. They surmised that there might be a slight cut to the neck after trying a fan with a metal blade. The only way that they could do any real damage was to use a high-powered metal industrial fan, and that didn’t result in a total decapitation the first few tries. So unless you have an aircraft turbine over your bed, you probably can jump up and down to your heart’s content and not have to worry.

Modern ceiling fans have replaced the wobbly and noisy fans of old. Today’s fans have aerodynamic blades, better speed variation, and higher energy efficiency. Ceiling fans can pay for themselves over time by allowing you to set your thermostat higher and still get a comfortable setting even when the weather outside is hot, hot, hot. With an increasing number of homeowners living in older, rehabbed homes with higher ceilings and loft apartments, ceiling fans come in a wide variety of styles to fit the bill. And with these types of structures with high ceilings where the warm air rises and hangs near the ceiling, a ceiling fan is surely a necessity.

On a hot day, set the fan so the blades turn counterclockwise and get the cooler air near the floor circulating. Ceiling fan blades range in size from 29 to 54inches. A 42-inch fan can move air for about 200 square feet. Any room larger than that requires a bigger fan to move the air. If you have a taller ceiling then the fan should hang one-quarter to one-third the height of the ceiling.

There are many different styles of fans to choose from. For a loft, the modern look may just fit right in. There are stainless steel models with brushed finishes as well as ones with translucent blades. Matching the lighting to the décor of a room can be a lot of fun also. There are designs that bend the light in different directions right on up to tiffany glass designs and just about everything else in-between. There are even some ceiling fans that have wall-mounted switches so you don’t have to fumble with a chain.

Install a ceiling fan in several rooms throughout the house and you can sit back in your favorite chair and imagine yourself on a tropical beach with a cooling breeze running through your hair, and save money on energy costs while you’re at it.