The best ceiling fan is one that can move a lot of air while rotating slowly. That's how you get a big, satisfying airflow that fills the whole space. It's also the the only way a fan can actually cool you down: it can't drop the air temperature, but it can create a wind chill effect.
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That's a pretty basic idea, right? But somehow, most ceiling fans completely fail to do this. You're always running the thing at maximum speed, yet it barely makes a dent in that hot, heavy air, even in a small room. Unless you particularly enjoy sweating, there's no way your fan can actually persuade you to turn up your thermostat. Not only that, but you've forgotten what "quiet" sounds like, with how hard that motor is working.
Enter the windmill fan.
As it turns out, once you bring the blade design of a farm-style windmill indoors, magic happens. Turning slowly and beautifully, a windmill fan kneads the air like dough, creating a constant breeze that's everywhere in the room, not just right under the fan.
The 'secret' is in plain sight: instead of the four or five blades on a regular fan, a windmill fan has 15 or more. Compared to those clunky oars, the blades of a windmill fan are pitched at a much shallower angle. This means each blade has a lighter workload, but together, they haul a ton of air with ease.
That's how a fan can actually save you money in the summer. Who knew?
The leading supplier of windmill fans is a Texas family business called The Windmill Ceiling Fan Company. They got their start when Kelly Eggers and her husband Phil moved into their dream home, which happened to be a barndominium on a farm. With 16-foot vaulted ceilings in their living space, the temperature near the top could easily get up to 100 degrees, and nothing seemed to cut through that stifling heat trapped up there.
That is, until Kelly looked at a windmill and realized That thing could be horizontal, and hanging from my ceiling.
Ever since, she and her family have been keeping themselves cool as cucumbers, along with hundreds of happy customers across the country. The fans are handcrafted, made of lightweight, durable aluminum, and endlessly customizable.
Here are a few more beautiful images from their gallery for you to feast your eyes. While you're at it, tip your hat to the Eggers family by following Windmill Ceiling Fans on Facebook!
