May 2nd, 2023 by Shauna Hammond

Here in the UK where air conditioning units are very uncommon, fans are by far the most popular and effective way to keep yourself cool during periods of hot weather. Electric fans have come a long way since their first conception back in 1886, they now come in a wide range of different types and sizes from no-thrill simple desk fans to feature-packed modern tower fans. So, with so many different types available on the market these days, how do you know which is the right one for you? In this blog we will take some time to go over the most popular fans available on the market, what the advantages they offer and what they are most suitable for, in hopes of making it easier for you to pick the right type for your needs.

How Do Fans Work

Let’s start from the very beginning with discussing what are fans, and if they actually make a difference to the temperature in the room. Well, to cut to the chase fans will not in fact lower the overall temperature of a room and neither will air coolers for that matter. The only way to truly lower the temperature of a room would be to use an air conditioning unit – so if you are looking for something that can bring the overall temperature down then we would suggest looking into an air conditioner. So, then what do fans actually do? Electric fans work by creating a breeze that blows across your skin, which helps to evaporate sweat and cool you down. When air moves across your skin, it helps to carry away the heat that your body generates. This process is called convection, and it helps to regulate your body temperature and helps to make you feel cooler. Fans can also help to circulate the air around a room to make it feel less stagnant and therefore cooler and fresher.

The Different Types

As mentioned above electric fans have come a long way, and there are tons of different kinds available on the market at the moment so it can be quite daunting picking the right one for you, especially if you are purchasing a fan with a specific purpose in mind such as cooling a large warehouse or even just look to provide relief for yourself in your office, so let’s take a look at some of the most popular types.

Desk Fan

The great-grandfather of all electric fans, the first fan was invented back in 1886 by Dr Schuyler Skaats Wheeler was a desk fan and these fans have continued to be the most popular and most common fans used in homes even now. They have come a long way since back then including the addition of an extra blade, adjustable speeds and the addition of oscillation features which all help to keep us feeling cooler.

Desk fans come in a wide range of sizes, but generally speaking, are most useful for cooling 1-3 people in small areas such as living rooms, bedrooms or offices. They are not ideal for cooling large spaces such as shop floors or warehouses as generally speaking the blades are not big enough nor are they powerful enough. However, they are fantastic for use in domestic areas, since they use so little energy you can use them without worrying about running up large energy bills and are powerful enough to effectively circulate air around rooms such as living rooms and bedrooms.

Pedestal Fans

Pedestal fans are similar very similar to desk fans but they are mounted onto a stand. They are adjustable in height and can be moved around the room. They are great for larger rooms where a desk fan is not quite enough and can provide a cooling breeze in any direction. This makes them perfect for larger living rooms, or offices with multiple people as they can be positioned to cover a larger area.

Ceiling Fans

Ceiling fans are also one of the oldest fan types available shortly following the desk fan they were made in 1887, these fans were initially designed for use in commercial areas such as restaurants, bars and stores but they eventually found their way into homes and were incredibly popular around the 1960s. However, these have in recent years reduced in popularity in the UK despite still being fairly popular in other parts of the world. Despite this ceiling fans are actually incredibly useful and not only can they be used to make a room feel cooler, but they can also be used to make a room feel warmer in winter too, making them a great year-round investment. As the name suggests the fans are mounted on the ceiling and are usually hardwired into existing light fixtures. Ceiling fans are a great way to circulate air throughout a whole room, they are also effective in larger areas since their position offers them the advantage of circulating air more freely, this makes them an excellent choice for not only domestic residences but for commercial areas too, especially in areas such as restaurants and shops where floor fans may become a hindrance.

Ceiling fans work in the same way as desk fans, using blades that spin to blow cool air downward that brushes along the skin helping to evaporate sweat and keep you feeling cooler while also keeping the air in the room constantly moving so that the air does not feel stuffy. As mentioned these fans are also a great way to keep rooms feeling warmer in winter too, this is done by reversing the direction that the blades move in, this will cause an updraft which will circulate the warm air from heaters or radiators around the room, heating the rooms up quicker and circulate the warm air around the room to keep it feeling warmer for longer even at lower temperatures. So if you are in a home or commercial lot that gets very warm in summer but very cold in winter, a ceiling fan is a fantastic option.

Tower Fans

Tower fans are a more modern addition to the electric fan family, they are tall and slender in design making them great cooling solutions for smaller spaces such as apartments, bedrooms and home offices as they can be placed in corners and take up less space than traditional fans. The designs of modern fans are also often sleeker and more stylish than your traditional desk and pedestal fans, so you don’t need to worry about them ruining the overall aesthetic of a room. Tower fans also have a quitter functions that most over fans making them a great choice for overnight use in bedrooms as it will not disturb your sleep with excessive noise.

These modern fans also tend to come with more additional features allowing the user to better tailor their cooling experience to suit their needs. This includes speed settings and oscillation setting, these fans also have more modern features including wind settings, which allows you to select different breeze styles that are designed to keep you cool throughout the night or even emulate the feeling of a natural breeze making you feel cooler and more refreshed. Many models including the MYLEK Tower Fan also include the addition of an ioniser. If you are wondering what the benefit of this is, it is essential to better simulate the feeling of a natural cooling breeze it does this by adding negative ions into the air, these are the same negative ions found in a natural breeze and are what makes it feel so refreshing. This is just one of many reasons that tower fans are fast becoming one of the most popular choices when purchasing a fan. However, these fans generally are less powerful and are more suitable for cooling smaller spaces which makes them more suitable for domestic use and small office use, however, this lower power also makes them incredibly cheap to run too!

MYLEK 36 Inch Black Remote Control Tower Fan

Price: £79.99

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Air Circulator Fans

These fans are incredibly powerful and are usually much larger in size when compared with the other fans on this list. While these can be used around the home, they are intended for use in large commercial areas such as workshops and warehouses. This is because they are much more powerful than standard fans and are designed to cover much larger areas so may prove to be too powerful for use in the home.

Unlike other fans, air circulator fans are designed to not only offer a cooling effect but as the name suggests keep air moving and circulating at a much higher degree than other fans can manage. This ensures that the air will not become too humid or stagnant. When positioned correctly they can also be used all year round much like ceiling fans, as they will circulate both cool air and warm air. So, if you are looking for a powerful fan with a large coverage to keep a warehouse or workshop comfortable all year, we highly recommend investing in an air circulator fan.

MYLEK 18 Inch Powerful Office Air Circulator Fan

Price: £74.99

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Portable USB Fans

This brings us to the last fan on our list, the newest member of the electric fan family is the portable USB fan. These fans often have low initial costs and low running costs too, this is due to their lower power and compact size. These little fans are the perfect individual cooling solution, especially for those who are frequently on the go or who often work at a desk. They can be powered using any USB slot and are usually designed to retain power even after being unplugged, making them great for those who enjoy walking in the summer. So, if you are looking for a small personal fan for home and work usage then a USB fan is a great choice!

As you can see there are many different types of fans available and each one is suitable for different situations, this is why it is important to have a clear understanding of your needs before purchasing your fan as aspects such as size, the number of people using it and positioning will affect how useful a fan is. We hope this blog has helped to provide a clearer understanding of these differences so that you can make the right choice when it comes time to buy!