Having grown up in a house without air conditioning, I know what it’s like to sweat through hot nights and loud fans. This was a time before the efficient, quiet fans now common; back in the day, we put loud, plane-propeller-size units in the window and on the floor hoping for a bit of air movement, just enough to pass out.

Luckily, I’ve found better way to keep cool. I still don’t have air condition, mind you, but I like it that way; besides, I’ve found a more efficient, less energy-taxing solution: the ceiling fan. Installed the right way, in the right place, these inexpensive and easy-to-install devices will keep you cool and save you cash.

Unlike energy-hogging A/C units, electric ceiling fans don’t actually cool the air; rather, they move it around, which helps evaporate moisture, on your skin and on surfaces in your home, making things feel cooler. Ceiling fans also help draw up warm air, mixing it with cooler air for more moderate room temperatures, so you get gentle warmth without the frigid, synthetic feel of air conditioning. (In winter, switch blade direction and the fan will push down warm air rather than draw it up.)

Installation

Putting up a fan is as easy as installing a ceiling light—right? Not quite. Screwing into the existing junction box might not provide enough stability. After all, some of these fans weigh more than 30 pounds standing still; add in the pressure and vibration created by the spinning blades and you’re left with a dangerous spinning blade—to say nothing of an eyesore.

Instead of affixing directly into the existing junction box, attach the fan to something—a beam—that will securely handle the weight and motion of the fan. Of course, it will need to be hooked up for power, so if you’re at all unsure how to safely connect, especially if your fan is also a light, hire an electrician to come in for a quick, inexpensive inspection.

Right place, right fan

Ceiling fans aren’t one-size-fits-all; there are ceiling fans for every type of decor; ceiling fans operable by remote control; fans designed for sloped ceilings; fans with blades as big as canoe paddles—you name it, it exists. Unless you want to recreate the plane-blade scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, the first consideration here is ceiling height. If your ceiling is less than eight feet, it’s too low for a ceiling fan. Also, the blade span should be no closer than two feet from the wall to allow for airflow.

The final consideration is noise. Put it this way, you could spend $25, but do you really want to live with a fan worthy of the exhaust system at KFC?