Best Ceiling Fans: Top 5 Products Most Recommended By Experts

As the days get warmer, we like to stay cooler. Depending on where you live, you may wait until summer to turn on the air conditioning. A ceiling fan, however, can help with temperature regulation pretty much all year long. It can also improve indoor air quality impacted by smoking, wood-burning stoves, cleaning products, cooking, or pet dander (combine with open windows for best results). StudyFinds researched the best ceiling fans, based on expert recommendations, for a cool 2023. 

Some may like it hot, but they’re asking for trouble. Heat causes quite a few negative outcomes: Researchers from Lehigh University and Northwestern University found that if temperatures are toasty, people grow moodier and more unwilling to help others out. And a Japanese study showed that when the daytime temperature soared above 76.64 degrees Fahrenheit, people were more likely to have trouble falling and staying asleep, which eventually results in shorter lifespans. 

Staying cool without technology will become a lot harder in the near future: “Summers are getting longer and hotter while winters [are getting] shorter and warmer due to global warming,” says researcher and physical oceanographer Yuping Guan in a media release by the American Geophysical Union. He further warns that “numerous studies have already shown that the changing seasons cause significant environmental and health risks.” Researchers from the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health estimate that because of rising temperatures, the risk of death due to excessively hot nights will increase by nearly six-fold between 2016 and 2100.

To stay in the here and now, keeping a fan going is the way to keep the temperature and electrical bill down while you can still avoid turning on the AC. StudyFinds checked expert reviews across ten websites and built our top-five list based on their recommendations, so you select one of the best ceiling fans for 2023. 

The List: Best Ceiling Fans, According to Experts

 

1. Minka-Aire Light Wave LED 52-inch Ceiling Fan

This elegant ceiling fan got the most expert mentions. While the design is smooth, the Minka-Aire Light Wave is also “effective, energy-efficient” and “offers plenty of customization options: It comes in three sizes and five colors, from a nondescript matte black to a rich koa finish,” points out The Strategist.

As for the Koa finish, “crafted from distressed koa wood, the Minka Aire Wave boasts that coveted tropical look without going overboard.” But in either finish, the fan’s “blades curve in all the right ways, making this contemporary piece one of our favorites,” writes Clever.

“If you want something high-tech that looks as modern as it performs, the Minka-Aire Light Wave ceiling fan looks like a plane propeller, and it’s powerful like one too. It has an included LED bulb, a reversible motor, and three fan blades that cut through your home’s air to quickly cool it. Our tester was impressed by this fan’s quiet operation,” states The Spruce. “All of the high-tech functions and chic design do come at a cost, however, making this fan one of the most expensive options on our list.”

2. Honeywell Carnegie Industrial Farmhouse LED Ceiling Fan

More affordable than our number one is Honeywell’s Carnegie model. It’s Bob Vila‘s first choice for ceiling fans as “users won’t hear the quiet three-speed motor they control via the remote control. And in the colder months, users can switch the direction of the motor to rotate warm air up.”

“The Honeywell Carnegie is a top-rated ceiling fan for a reason, providing a good all-around blade size of 52 inches, reversible motor, integrated modern lighting kit, and multiple mounting options,” according to Reviewed. It’s suitable for all kinds of settings: “Whether you need to mount this at typical ceiling heights, tall ceiling heights, or on a slope, the Carnegie can do just about anything — and look great in the process.”

“If you are looking for a modern ceiling fan suitable for any room in the home, this fan might be a good choice,” This Old House agrees. As for additional specs, “the Honeywell Carnegie ceiling fan is a rustic modern fan that comes with LED light bulbs for quality lighting. The fan incorporates a three-speed setting so you can control the amount of moving air throughout your room.”

3. Big Ass Fans Haiku Home L Series 52-Inch Smart Ceiling Fan

If you can put style before affordability, consider the Haiku Home L Series 52-Inch Smart Ceiling Fan. As its name implies, this fan is a smart fan, featuring “modern technology to give you hands-free control over the airflow in your home” with “variable light settings and compatibility with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant” that make it the “best smart fan” for This Old House.

“If you want to spare no expense on smart-home features, the Haiku fan by Big Ass Fans (really, that’s its name) comes with plenty of high-tech bells and whistles. It has motion, humidity, and temperature detectors to help determine when to turn on and how to adjust to the room’s conditions. It’s also Wi-Fi-enabled and connects with Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control,” says The Strategist.

In addition to being smart and stylish, this fan is also sustainable: “The manufacturer claims the Haiku L Smart Ceiling Fan is ‘the world’s most energy efficient ceiling fan,’ and the independent certification body Energy Star agrees, awarding the company a Most Efficient label for 2021,” writes Buy Side.

4. Honeywell Carmel Ceiling Fan

Honeywell’s Carmel model is versatile, effective, and affordable. Per Reviewed, “the Honeywell Carmel is another excellent all-around fan that’ll work in a wide variety of rooms, complement both classic and contemporary designs, and cap off a room without stealing the show. It comes with a remote control, is available in a variety of colors, and can run at multiple speeds and in either direction.”

Better Homes & Gardens confirms the fan’s versatility and adds a few more benefits: “The Honeywell Carmel Ceiling Fan is the best ceiling fan if you’re in need of a low-profile design. The five-blade fan is remote-controlled and is ideal for both medium- and large-sized rooms […] This fan runs quiet, and its three-speed, reversible motor can be reversed in the winter to aid in circulating warm air throughout the room. This model includes a remote control with a light dimmer, so you’ll be able to adjust the fan and light however you see fit.”

To summarize, “if you’re looking for a highly rated fan with an integrated light, Honeywell’s Carmel fan is a great choice — it houses three 40-watt LED bulbs, providing plenty of light for a medium-size room. It has an aggregate rating of 4.5 stars on Amazon with nearly 2,000 five-star ratings, with reviewers reporting that it’s quiet, versatile, and, best of all, a great deal,” points out The Strategist.

5. Honeywell Xerxes Ceiling Fan

Are you looking for a heavy-duty fan? The Honeywell Xerxes ceiling fan was made for big spaces: “Large rooms that require proper air filtration or cooling can rely on the Honeywell Xerxes Ceiling Fan,” says Bob Vila.

 

“If you have a very large room to cool, you need a very large fan, and the Honeywell 62-inch diameter Xerxes Fan fits the bill. It is expensive, but its thoughtful design and cooling efficiency make it an option that’s worth the additional cost,” writes The Spruce.

Better Homes & Gardens further points out that “this fan comes with a 4-inch downrod for mounting, but you can also purchase an angled mount if you’re installing the fan on a vaulted ceiling. There’s also a remote control for adjusting the speed settings, lighting, and more.”

You might also be interested in:

• Best Air Purifiers
• Best Tower Fans
• Best Tool Belts In 2023
• Best Cordless Drills In 2023
• Best Dishwashers In 2023
• Best Vacuums

Sources:

• The Spruce
• Clever
• Bob Vila
• Better Homes & Gardens
• The Strategist
• HGTV
• Reviewed
• Wirecutter
• Buy Side
• This Old House

Note: This article was not paid for nor sponsored. StudyFinds is not connected to nor partnered with any of the brands mentioned and receives no compensation for its recommendations.