It's common to see ceiling fans in all types of rooms in a home, as they can offer an inexpensive way to keep your home cool during the warmer seasons. But should ceiling fans be installed in kitchens as well? We've done a bit of research on this topic, and in this post, we'll answer this question for you.
Installing a new ceiling fan in your kitchen area can serve several functions. If you're considering whether or not it will be a good idea to do so, take a look at some of the benefits of a fan, including:
- Keeps you cool
- Lowers home energy costs
- Helps rid odors and smoke
- Provides an additional lighting fixture/source
- Helps keep mosquitoes and other insects away during seasonal changes
As you can see, adding a ceiling fan to your kitchen can have many benefits. Now, let's discuss some of the considerations to note regarding finding the right ceiling fan for your kitchen.
Benefits of A Ceiling Fan In The Kitchen
Keeps You Cool
Kitchens are known for maintaining higher temperatures than other rooms in a home. With an oven and stove in use, it's easy for temperatures to climb fairly quickly, bringing discomfort while you are cooking. This is where a ceiling fan can be useful. Although it does not readily lower the room's temperature, it can provide a cool and steady breeze to help you feel cooler while preparing your meal.
Lowers Home Energy Costs
Ceiling fans can also help you lower your electric bill anywhere from 15% to 30%. Though a ceiling fan won't technically lower your kitchen's temperature, it does provide a cool draft in the room to help keep you comfortable. This means that you won't have to crank up your home's air conditioner or central air to increase your comfort level.
Helps Rid of Odors and Smoke
If you are like most cooks, odds are you've burned something on the stove or, for some reason or another, have experienced a foul smell in the kitchen (i.e., trash, spoiled food, etc.). Smoke or lingering odors are causes to air out the room. Opening up nearby windows can be effective, but it can take a while for the odor or smoke to dissipate completely. A ceiling fan installed in your kitchen can quickly circulate the air, pulling it up to the ceiling and out toward the windows (or doors) of the room.
Provides An Additional Lighting Fixture/Source
The kitchen area is one of the rooms in a home that can always use more lighting. If the current lighting scheme in your kitchen barely gives you the level of brightness preferred, installing additional ceiling lighting may not be a bad idea. Not only will a kitchen fan offer the added benefits of effective air circulation, but it can provide you with an effective source for overhead lighting in your workspace.
Helps Keep Mosquitos and Other Insects Away
In the spring and summer months, opening the windows in a home is a great way to bring fresh air into your home. One disadvantage of open windows is dealing with the hordes of pests such as mosquitoes and flies, which are more prevalent during these seasons.
In particular, mosquitoes are naturally weak flyers and prefer to fly in areas where the wind is still. An operating ceiling fan in your kitchen can produce a breeze strong enough to keep them at bay. Also, the fan's circulation helps to disperse carbon monoxide, odors, and other chemical cues that mosquitoes use to locate feeding opportunities.
What Is The Best Size For A Kitchen Ceiling Fan?
Determining the best size for your ceiling fan depends on the size of your kitchen. For the most part, the total square footage of the flooring in a room will be the main determinant of how big the blades on a ceiling fan will be to circulate the air in the room effectively.
If you are unsure about your kitchen's square footage, take a tape measure, and measure the flooring from wall to wall. Ceiling fans come with the size of the blades listed in their product description and on their packaging. Here are the most common size recommendations for ceiling fans and room sizes:
- Blade size: 29″ or less/Room size: less than 50-square feet
- Blade size: 36″/ Room size: up to 75-square feet
- Blade size: 42″ /Room size: up to 100-square feet
Which Type Of Fan Is Best For The Kitchen?
Finding a high-quality and well-fitting fan for your kitchen is important for efficiency purposes and aesthetic purposes. Fans can come in various sizes, shapes, and colors to suit almost every home decor or style. Let's take a look at some of the best kitchen ceiling fan models available currently.
Emerson - Tilo
The Emerson Tilo ceiling fan is one of the best fans on the market today. This fan comes with a notable 4-speed motor and measures only 30-inches, making it a great option for kitchenettes in apartments or smaller kitchens in homes. It also comes with wall controls for easy operation and setting adjustments.
The fan's white bronze and brushed steel help it to match easily with various types of kitchen styles and colors, and it's also available in other colors. This ceiling fan can be mounted either as a hugger fan on lower ceilings or traditionally. For homes with tall ceilings (9-feet or higher), Emerson offers extended down rods that you can buy separately.
This fan can be used with or without a central kit. The Emerson Tilo fan is versatile, stylish, and one of the most talked-about ceiling fans in the marketplace.
Check out this Emerson Tilo ceiling fan on Amazon.
Hunter -Builder Delux
Hunter has offered quality ceiling fans for quite some time now, and their new Builder Deluxe fan is a model that definitely keeps up this tradition. Builder Deluxe is a 52-inch contemporary kitchen ceiling fan that works great for larger kitchens and can be used throughout the year. This fan is reliable and comes in earthy and traditional designs of either stained oak or Brazilian cherry blades.
The powerful blades on this fan provide effective air movement in a room, but they do so fairly quietly--even on the fan's highest setting. If your kitchen is on the larger side, and you're looking for a fan that's both powerful and quiet, the Builder Deluxe may be worth taking a look.
Check out this Hunter Builder Deluxe ceiling fan on Amazon.
Harbor Breze - Mazon
The Mazon model kitchen ceiling fan made by Harbor Breeze offers one of the best models for low-ceiling kitchens. Its flush-mount capability makes it a great option for homeowners with a small or medium-sized kitchen. However, it's compactness doesn't stop it from providing strong air movement, as its 42-inch blades can provide exceptional circulation in your kitchen.
It also comes with convenient remote control operation and easy-to-operate fan speed and light controls (and an energy-efficient LED lighting). The Mazon's blades and body come in a sleek brushed nickel, making it an appealing option for kitchens with mostly stainless steel appliances.
Check out this ceiling Harbor Breeze Mazon fan on Amazon.
How Can I Keep My Kitchen Cool?
It's not uncommon for a home's kitchen to be a hot-air trap, especially if it's not equipped with central air conditioning and during warmer months. So, here are a few inexpensive ways that you can help keep your kitchen cool without having to switch on your AC:
Get a ceiling fan or table fan
Ceiling fans are great at helping the air within a room circulate, allowing occupants to feel cooler and more comfortable. To get the best use out of your kitchen fan in the summer, it's best to set the blades to rotate counter-clockwise. Doing so causes the fan's blades to blow the air in the room downward, creating a nice cool breeze.
Avoid using the oven
It's not surprising that using the oven will increase kitchen temperature. It's actually the biggest reason for higher temperatures in this particular room, and if you're preparing a slow-to-cook meal, this can mean hours of heat protruding from the oven. However, not using a stove isn't necessarily practical for many homeowners, so a good option would be to start your food preparation early in the morning before outside temperatures reach their high for the day.
Use alternative cooking appliances
You can also consider using other appliances to prepare your meals. This includes slow cookers, electric grills, microwaves, etc. Or instead of using the oven, try using the stovetop instead (if possible), as it won't give off as much heat as the oven. You can also consider opting for meals that don't require heating, such as salads, sandwiches, fruit, etc.
Use an induction stove
Unlike traditional stoves, induction stoves can generate heat transferred directly to the pan's or pot's surface on the stove, which greatly reduces the amount of heat generated in the air. This means your kitchen will be cooler during your stovetop cooking sessions.
Minimize your light usage
Lighting can cause temperatures in kitchens to rise, though minimally. It's common for homeowners to keep kitchen lights turned-on 24/7, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, as lights don't require as much electricity as appliances do. However, if you're looking to keep your kitchen as cool as possible, it could help to only turn on the lights only during the day or when the kitchen is occupied.
Wrapping Things Up
We hope you've gathered a few helpful tips on selecting kitchen ceiling fans and how they can be beneficial additions to your kitchen. Before you go, be sure to check out our other posts: