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Although taking the time to choose a ceiling fan blade isn’t a high priority for renovators or those building a new home, it’s important to know your options.
Did you know that heating and cooling clocks up a whopping 40% of a household’s annual electricity bill? As such, if you’re prone to relying a little too much on the air conditioner during the summer months, ceiling fans present a viable alternative and happy medium.
If you’re in the process of building a new home or are giving your existing one an upgrade, shopping for ceiling fans can quickly become overwhelming. Once you’ve selected the right size, motor type and power controls, it’s time to navigate your options for ceiling fan blades.
While your ceiling fan blade size and the number of blades present do play a role in your fan’s overall performance, so too does the material. For residential properties, ceiling fan blades usually come in one of three varieties: plastic, timber or metal.
Aesthetics aside, the weight of a ceiling fan blade can affect the fan’s ability to move air. While a heavier blade type will be able to move more air, many homeowners forget to factor noise into their selection. Blades made of metal have a tendency to make the loudest racket, while slimmer varieties such as timber or plastic are known to be lighter, and therefore quieter.
Despite their reputation for noise, metal ceiling fan blades have remained popular thanks to their durability. They’re the ideal choice for living rooms with high ceilings, or larger areas that need extra help with circulating air flow. The downside of this power is that ceiling fans with metal blades are heavier, so therefore need stronger motors to perform at their best.
Another factor to consider is that they don’t do well in areas with too much moisture in the air, so to avoid rust and degradation, homeowners might want to think about a different material for outdoor areas or homes in coastal or humid climates.
In comparison, timber ceiling fan blades are a happy medium between style and durability. Aside from their long life span, timber blades produce minimal noise, and are therefore regularly used in bedrooms. However, the reduction in noise comes at a cost, as they usually have a reduced air flow.
To offset this, a growing number of manufacturers are producing timber ceiling fan blades infused with plastic. Aside from getting the best of both worlds in terms of performance, the added material also helps to prevent the timber from warping or being too exposed to any moisture in the air.
Finally, we have plastic ceiling fan blades. As a common go-to for many homeowners working on a budget, they can be crafted into almost any shape during the manufacturing phase. With many producers now using an ABS polymer, plastic ceiling fan blades are now available in a wide range of designs as well.
As they are the lightest of all ceiling fan blade materials – and also the cheapest – plastic ceiling fans are also much easier to clean than their counterparts, and are less likely to succumb to any adverse climate conditions.
Before you make a ceiling fan blade selection, be sure to read the fine print on what types of motors can handle which types of blades. Some won’t be able to handle heavier blades, while others run the risk of consuming far more power than necessary if you have an excessively large motor.
If installing new ceiling fans or giving your current ones an upgrade is on the cards, then it’s always a good idea to enlist the services of a licensed professional to guarantee proper installation – but where do you find them?
Here at Shield Electrical, we are a Brisbane based electrical contracting company, and pride ourselves on being shockingly good at watt we do. For us, friendly and reliable customer service isn’t just a nice add on – it’s how we do business. Don’t take our word for it though, just ask our clients.
Established in 2015, Shield Electrical is lighting the way when it comes to providing electrical work with world class customer service. With our headquarters based in the central suburban pocket of Coorparoo, our team of qualified industry professionals are readily available to deliver quality workmanship, fast quotes, and affordable pricing.
Whether you’re on the hunt for an electrician for domestic services, residential, commercial and industrial construction, security systems or even just further energy saving tips, get in touch with us at Shield today to source practical solutions that don’t break the bank.
