4 reasons I’m not packing away my fan just yet – and why it’s useful all year round
Temperatures might be dropping, but I've still got plans for my fan before the year is out
After months of continuously hot weather, it's all too easy to associate certain appliances with keeping cool.
But as someone who's literal job it is to test the best fans around, I'm finding that I still have plenty of use for the fans I have dotted around my home, despite the cooler temperatures we're now experiencing in the UK. I have one in my office, my living room and my bedroom, and I don't think I'll be packing them away any time soon.
This is why I don't think you should either.
1. It helps reduce stuffiness
Temperatures may be a lot more tolerable now than they were a month ago, but that doesn't mean that the air is feeling lovely and crisp.
Still air combined with the rainfall we've been having lately can easily make rooms feel stuffy, so I've been using my fan to circulate the air, removing any staleness and encouraging fresher air in from outside.
When it comes to how fans can help with humidity, they might not be able to actually reduce moisture levels like the best dehumidifiers can, but the movement of air can help reduce how muggy a room feels.
If you want a space-saving fan that will fit with your neutral interiors, then the new Meaco Sefte Tower Fan will be ideal. It comes in two different sizes, depending on whether you want it to sit on a table top or on the floor.
For an affordable desktop fan that will help keep a bedroom or home office fresh year-round, then the Morphy Richards 10'' air circulator is worth snapping up (and it's back in stock after selling out over the summer).
AirCraft Home's powerful fan looks good and offers great wind speeds in the top setting, that will freshen up a room in seconds. It also has an atmospheric backlight that you probably wouldn't get to appreciate in the long days of summer, but it'll come into it's own in autumn.
2. It can help you fall asleep all year round
While experts advise not to leave a fan running all night long, I'm a big fan (pardon the pun) of having a fan on while I fall asleep. It's a combination of the feeling of a gentle breeze across the skin, and the almost imperceptible hum it creates, that sends me off into a deep sleep.
And so even though the nights are getting cooler (although I've not yet swapped to my autumn/winter duvet), I'm still using my fan on the lowest setting (and with a timer so it's not running all night), to help me drift off.
3. It can help prevent damp-causing condensation
Fans can help moisture evaporate more quickly, reducing the chance of condensation forming.
While you might not think about using a fan during wetter months, it can actually help keep damp and mould at bay.
Having good air circulation can help speed up the evaporation of moisture, and prevent condensation from forming on windows and walls, which if left unchecked could lead to problems with mould and damp. And I definitely don't want those, so I've got used to sticking the fan on for a bit especially after cooking or showering and it seems like a good idea to me!
For more serious issues with excess moisture, a fan won't be enough though and you'd be better off with a dehumidifier. You can always use your fan to help your dehumidifier, boosting its effectiveness in a shorter amount of time.
4. It could help boost my heating (when I turn it on)
While I've used a fan in this spot in my kitchen diner over the summer, I plan to move it a little further away from the radiator come winter and turn it on to help the heat circulate the large space quickly.
OK, admittedly I'm a little way off turning my central heating on for the first time this season, but with the energy price cap due to rise again in October, I'm definitely keen on any low-energy options that will boost the benefits of my heating, without costing me a fortune.
While it can seem counter-intuitive to use a fan in the colder months, it can be a great tactic for helping to circulate warm air around your home, using the same logic as radiator fans.
When the time comes to put my heating on, I plan on putting my fan near my radiator, and on the lowest speed setting, to help help evenly and quickly distribute the heat around the room. If the room feels warmer more quickly, I'm less likely to resort to having it on for longer than necessary, keeping my energy bills as low as possible.
FAQs
Do you need to use a fan all year round?
Whether you'll get the benefits of using a fan all year round will depend on your home and how it handles moisture and heat distribution.
If you have no issues with excess moisture and your heating emitters work like a dream, and burping your home gets rid of any stuffiness, then you might not need your fan over the colder months and you can probably quite happily pack it away.
However, even though you won't need it for cooling, if your fan can keep your home feeling fresh and help your dehumidifier work more effectively then it's worth keeping it at the ready. Fortunately, many of the models you can buy today are relatively unobtrusive, quiet, and inexpensive to run.
