Tower fans are useful because they can oscillate in order to circulate cool air around a room; plus, they tend to be a good height for helping cool air reach beds and chairs without using any valuable table space.
Take a look at the information below for advice on how to find the best tower fan.
Power and Oscillation
When it comes to power and performance, you should look out for different things depending on room size and fan purpose.
A motor of at least 40 W is required for medium/large rooms. If you want the breeze to be felt in most corners of the room, look for a fan with at least 100° oscillation.
Some fans don’t have such a large range of oscillation. Therefore, you’ll need to think more about placement.
Calculating Running Costs
Another thing to consider, when it comes to power, is the running cost.
The more Watts used by a machine, the more it will cost to run. Tower fans that have several power settings will cost less to run on lower settings that use less Watts (more info on different fan settings below).
Below is a simple step-by-step process that you can use to calculate the running costs of any machine in your house, so long as you know its power in Watts. You will also need to know how much your energy provider charger per kilowatt hour. For the following example, we will say that they charge ÂŁ0.28 per kW/h.
- First, find out how many kilowatts the machine uses. Do this by diving the number of Watts by 1000. For example, a 45 W tower fan will use 0.045 kW. This means the fan uses 0.045 kW per hour.
- Next, multiply the kW number by how many hours you will use the machine for. If we used a 45 W tower fan for 5 hours, it would use 0.225 kW.
- Multiply this last number by the price you pay per kW/h. In this example, we’re imagining you pay ÂŁ0.28. So 0.225 x 0.28 = ÂŁ0.06. This means it would cost you 6 pence to run a 45 W fan for 5 hours.
Noise Level Decibel Output
The best tower fans tend to provide a good balance between providing a cool breeze without being too noisy.
The higher end fans offer really powerful and effective airflow but are also whisper quiet. On the lower range models, you may have to compromise a little on noise; however, many of these fans do have quiet settings which are great when you are trying to sleep on hot nights.
When it comes to tower fans, their noise output is often presented in decibels, so you can get an idea about how the fan will sound.
For reference:
- 30 dB equates to the sound of whispering
- 40 dB equates to the hum of a fridge
- 50 dB equates to sound of medium rainfall
Those who find themselves very sensitive to noise when sleeping may need to look for something close to 40 dB. In most situations, anything under 50 dB is considered ‘faint’ noise, and shouldn’t be too disruptive.
Timer Settings
Timer settings are very useful for two main reasons.
Firstly, they can save on electricity costs. If the timer is set, but you forget to turn the fan off, it will turn off automatically.
Secondly, the timer function is useful if you like to have a fan on to help you get to sleep. Many fans allow you to set a time period before the fan will turn off so you can fall asleep relaxed, knowing the fan isn’t going to run all night. This can stop you from getting a chill, and also help save money.
Ability to Purify the Air
Although none of the fans featured on this page have air purifying properties, it may be useful to know that such fans exist.
The ability to clean and purify the air is important for some people, especially those with allergies, as removing dust, pollen and microparticles can drastically reduce the symptoms of allergies.
If this is important to you, you may choose to look for a fan that filters the air.
Some tower fans will clean the air of pollutants even when the cooling element of the tower fan is not required, therefore allowing you to have fresh, clean air in your room even during cold winters. This is useful as it can help relieve the symptoms of allergies and asthma without blasting cold air during winter.
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