bros This Post may contain Affiliate Links. Please read our Disclosure for legal jargon.
It’s 100 degrees out, and your ceiling fan just isn’t cutting it. It’s literally so hot that you want to Avada Kedavra the heat away and teleport yourself to Antarctica. While they are convenient to use, there are a few disadvantages that you can’t overlook.
They’re difficult to clean, and climbing up on the ladder to clean it just isn’t fun anymore. They also are a bit noisy, and a little distracting to be honest. Who can overlook circulating blades mounted to the ceiling? Sure, it’s convenient and probably came pre-installed with your house or apartment, but don’t settle for it! Beat the heat!
If you’re looking for something to beat the summer heat, and you’re searching for a cool alternative, here are a few options. Don’t worry! They won’t make a dent on your bank account. Just a little investment in time and energy to find the product that fits your style and functionality.
Outline
10 Best Ceiling Fan Alternatives
1. Tower Fan
As you can tell, there’s a reason it’s called a tower fan. It’s built-in a towering structure and saves a lot of space. Even with its space-saving structure, it blows a substantial amount of air and can rotate in an almost 360-degree direction.
This depends on the type of model you buy. They’re also remote-controlled, so you don’t have to get off the couch while watching Game of Thrones. Some fans even have the option of heating, albeit with an added cost for this additional feature.
But this makes this fan useful during all the seasons. Rather than buying a fan with only the cooling feature, incest a bit for the additional heating feature, it’ll definitely be worth it. They’re also much easier to clean, and don’t stick out like a sore thumb in your living room since they can fit in corners of the house. Dust and debris are easily filtered out, since the spacing of the blades of the fan are quite large, and even.
2. Window AC Unit
Contrary to popular belief, these units are not expensive. In fact, there’s only about a $50-$60 difference between tower fans and a window AC unit. The unit is energy-saving and doesn’t take up a lot of space. It also doesn’t require a lot of time to install. Ahem, IKEA.
Has anyone else opened their booklet of instructions before realizing you don’t speak furniture Latin? You can also take them with you on road trips, especially during the summer since it’s portable! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dropped my fan on my poor little pinky toe, which is now avoidable since these fans either have wheels or are lightweight.
The installation itself doesn’t cost anything since you can do the installation yourself. Since they can be fitted and installed easily, you can buy more than one unit for your home for universal cleaning.
3. Central Air Conditioning
This type of air conditioning is a great way to cool down large areas of space, as is very commonly used in office buildings and schools. It circulates the air throughout your home rather than in just one room. So you only need one central conditioner rather than multiple units throughout the house.
If you have any health concerns like asthma or allergies, this conditioner is the perfect option for you. It clears the necessary dust and debris through every cycle of circulation, since there are filters that are built-in to the AC. However, it’s a bit expensive to install and the filter may need to be cleaned out depending on the model you buy.
They’re sold up to $300, so consider all the factors including area, how much you want to spend, and how long you plan on keeping it before making a little dent in your wallet to buy this fan. They also consume more power and energy compared to other cooling units, since it requires more power to circulate air over a large area of space.
Buy this central air conditioner.
Check out other good central air conditioners.
4. Pedestal Fan
Personally, I find these types of fans a bit annoying. They stick out like a sore thumb, and easily fall over, which can be quite dangerous if you have children or pets. But, you can easily control the airflow since there is usually a button at the back of the fan that allows you to set the position of the fan.
If you’re in a household like mine where each person feels hot or cold at different times of the day, you end up turning the AC on and off, kind of like playing Whack-a-Mole. This fan puts an end to this, as you can position the fan to blow air exactly where you want it to. It’s also easy to clean, but must be cleaned regularly since debris and dust sticks to the fan blades very quickly.
They don’t make a lot of noise compared to ceiling fans, and you don’t have to settle for a direct blast of cold air since it can be moved from side to side. Much better than a face full of cold air don’t you think?
5. Attic Fan
You know those cool fans on the top of houses and factories that makes you feel dizzy bu looking at it? This is the one. It basically regulates the level of heat by exhausting hot air outside your house, so that the inside of your home is cooler. You can finally buy those heels you want, because your electricity bill will be a heck of a lot lower.
It can be turned on and off using a thermostat and can either be gable or roof-mounted. This makes it easy to install and access. Dirt and debris will not settle, since the fan wards it off constantly. Since they remove the moisture from inside your home, you avoid the risk of mold or mildew settling into your home.
This is a common problem within areas of homes where there is no proper ventilation, since moisture settles in different areas of the house, without proper cleaning or air circulation of that particular area. Make sure you check for these problems every few weeks, to avoid rotting of wood or plaster in the corners of your house.
Get this best-priced attic fan.
6. Box Fan
Now this is what I call old school. Remember those fans your grandparents owned and placed all over the house? And when you asked for an AC, they’d just gently laugh and point you to the fan in the corner? Ah, golden memories of summer heat. These fans are highly portable, and can be moved from one room to the other.
A cool trick to blow cool air during the summer time, is to put a bowl of ice or cold water in front of the fan, so that it blows cool air throughout the room. However, it doesn’t rotate like other fans, so you literally have to be in front of the fan for it to actually work. In your face.
It also easily picks up dust, pollen and dirt since the surface area of the blades is quite large. It also takes up quite a bit of space, and isn’t very pretty to look at, especially if you have guests over, so hide it in a closet. However, broke students like me or broke people in general can afford this fan, considering how inexpensive it is. It’s definitely useful as a substitute window fan, to push cool air into your home.
7. Table Fan
This is the epitome of a perfect fan. It’s portable, small, easy to use and rotates from side to side so you don’t get hit with a face full of air. It’s quite commonly used on tables obviously, by students, and in offices. It comes in many shapes and sizes, so if the circular structure just isn’t cutting it for you, there are always other options, like rectangular of a square shape!
It cools the air only within its proximity, so it’s perfect for one or two people but not for blasting air over a long distance for more than two people. They’re probably the cheapest fan compared to all the other fans, with some being as inexpensive as $13; and that’s without discount! But, they must be cleaned regularly since the blades easily pick up dust and debris on a regular basis. It must be placed on a smooth surface to distribute air equally.
If you’re going for a classy look, buy a fan with metal blades to make your room or table look a bit more elegant. Most table fans can also be tilted, along with the existing feature of rotating from side to side, so you can control the airflow.
8. Humidifier
Hello to everyone out there who’s dying in the summer heat, especially if you’re in Arizona, California or New York. I definitely feel your pain. A humidifier could solve your problems! It basically adds moisture to the air in case there’s any or dryness in the air.
Although humidifiers are used for medical reasons like a dry throat or dry skin, it adds cool air to the atmosphere. The most common ones used are steam humidifiers, which heat the air, cool it, then release it. They’re very commonly found in drug stores, and are inexpensive, so don’t hesitate to buy one. If you do have kids running around the house, be very careful because this type of humidifier can cause burns.
The overuse of humidifiers can make respiratory problems like asthma, allergies or any other breathing problems even worse. Overuse can also result in mildew, or mold to grow in the corner of your home from creating an excess of dampness in the air. Humidity should stay between 30%-50%, so make sure you can regulate the settings of your humidifier before you use it, to prevent the harmful side effects.
Get this most purchased humidifier.
Check out other amazing humidifiers.
9. Portable Air Conditioner
Kinda says it all in the words, really. Its a cooling unit that gives off cool air, and it’s portable! No more buying new fans when you move, or if you randomly decide to go on a road trip to the Grand Canyon in an RV. They’re lightweight, and don’t consume too much power so don’t worry about your electricity bill. If your room is small, of you don’t really want to share your AC, wheel it into your room!
It comes with wheels, so portability isn’t an issue. Some portable fans do need to be kept near the window or on the window sill to be effective. They also cost a bit more than table fans, but always average in the $100-$200 range.
Having a remote control is a bonus, since you won’t have to keep getting up to switch it on or off. If you really want to invest in a good AC, there are portable ones that have extra features where you can control exactly how much air-flow there is and the exact temperature you want it to be. However, they are quite expensive, so think twice before you pull out your wallet.
Buy this amazing portable air conditioner.
10. Bladeless Air Fan
It’s basically a next gen fan, equivalent to the awe you feel while looking at a flying car! The cool air is blown from a ring that is uniformly shaped, and equally distributes the air. It’s quiet, power-efficient and doesn’t cause any nuisance in sound like the other types of fans. Don’t worry, it’s not technological witchcraft, it really does work on science and electricity! They are sleek, and make your home look upscale, so if you have a modern or contemporary style home, it’s a perfect piece of decor that’s also functional.
On top of these already extra cool features, it is remote controlled and also space-saving. It fits perfectly in the corner of your room, or on the side of your table. All things considered, it’s a little expensive and ranges anywhere from $50-$200 which is quite decent even with all its fancy next-generation features. Some features can even be programmed to turn on or off much like a schedule, in case you need the room to be ventilated on a periodic basis.
All in all, fans have an even price range. Depending on what you’re looking for, they have their own advantages and disadvantages. Each type has it’s own special features, and depending on the parts its made of, are portable, remote-controlled, and inexpensive. Don’t let health conditions get in the way, because you can buy a fan-based on that as well to prevent asthma or other respiratory problems from becoming worse. You don’t have to make a dent in your wallet; just choose which fan you like based on space, and how much time and money you’re willing to invest.
