Ceiling Fan Season Is Right Around The Corner

Here in the south, ceiling fans are used almost year-round, since the cooling season can start as early as March. Ceiling Fans are part of life here, in fact, conjuring up images of slowly rotating fans cooling you on the front porch. Today's ceiling fans offer a near-infinite number of functional and decorative possibilities, and are now considered an integral part of any room's decor. Another reason ceiling fans are enjoying unprecedented popularity is that they are extremely cost-effective, costing just pennies per hour to operate. Even better, some ceiling fans are now Energy-Star Rated, so you can operate them with peak efficiency to minimize your cooling and heating expenses.

Energy Star ceiling fans offer attractive ways to reduce energy usage without sacrificing style or comfort. Energy Star ceiling fans move air about 15% more efficiently than a standard ceiling fan, resulting in an estimated savings of $20 to $30 per year. When you factor in the reduced energy cost of the efficient light fixture, you'll save significantly more. 

Styles
There are as many ceiling fan styles are there are decorating styles themselves.   The most popular styles are Contemporary, Victorian, and Tropical.   

Contemporary Ceiling Fans emphasize sharp lines, use of Brushed Nickel, aerodynamic lighting treatments, and lighter woods or finishes for the blades.   The blades can also be unusually-shaped, while still fulfilling the function of air movement.  One of the most ground-breaking companies in the arena of modern ceiling fans is a company called Fanimation.  They have set the standard for ultra-modern designs that create a statement just by themselves.  Kichler, known primarily for their expansive lighting collection, also has a fine collection of contemporary offerings that match their lighting groups.

	Fanimation Celano Ceiling Fan
	Kichler Lighting Structures Ceiling Fan

Victorian-style Ceiling Fans hearken back to the early days of air movement, with use of elaborate castings, large fan bodies, traditional geometric blades, and dark finishes such as black, oil-rubbed bronze, and rust.  Some of the best-selling fans in this category are from Casablanca and Emerson.  Both of these companies have a century of experience in the design and manufacture of ceiling fans, and some of their earliest designs are still their most popular, believe it or not!

	Casablanca 19th Century Ceiling Fan
	Emerson Cornerstone Classic Ceiling Fan

Tropical Ceiling Fans, or what we sometimes call Exotic Ceiling Fans, are perhaps the fastest-growing category of fans, as homeowners in the Southeast and Southwest continually search for cost-effective and stylish ways to cool their homes and provide a design focal point.   Exotic Ceiling Fans almost always make use of natural materials for fan blades, such as woven bamboo, palm leaf or abaca.   Additionally, they make use of lighter finishes to compliment the overall organic look.   Some of the best-selling fans in this category are made by Hunter Fans, which offers a variety of Caribbean-inspired designs, and Fanimation, which has pioneered the use of woven material for a number of exotic fan blade creations

	Fanimation Islander Ceiling Fan
	Hunter Royal Palm Ceiling Fan

There are, of course, many other designs for ceiling fans, and they can be further specialized by the use of light kits. Ceiling fans light kits are sold as either glass bowls which hang beneath the fan fixture, or as individually-armed lights which have a glass light shade, usually a three or four-light configuration. Many ceiling fans include a light fixture as part of the design, and some include both an uplight (which illuminates above the downrod) and a downlight, which provide ambient light.

Regardless of your choice (and there are many!), there is no reason to experience energy savings and an enhanced room decor with a beautiful, quality ceiling fan.