Low RPM Ceiling Fans

Published 9/27/2013
by: Greg Tillotson

We recently received the following comment sent from our "Ceiling Fan Suggestions" page:

"Idea: The point about having a reversible motor of course is to direct the hot air/ cooler air as seasonably appropriate. Trouble is, for winter the fan speed even on the lowest speed, gives you way too much of a breeze to be comfortable; it needs low speed needs to be much lower. a lower speed would be better for the summer,too, just for air distribution, not necessarily a constant breeze. My ceilings are 12 feet high, by the way. So a very slow slow-speed option would be infinitely more useful."

Here is my response to this suggestion:

"There are in fact quite a few ceiling fans where the RPM range is wider (higher and lower) than typical ceiling fans. Almost all ceiling fans that have more than 4 speeds (6 or 7 speeds) have the lowest set lower than the average ceiling fan. However, it is not actually RPM at low speed that is critical to minimize the breeze during winter operation, it is the actual airflow. This is because 2 different fans running at the same low RPM can produce quite different wind speeds due to the shape, size and pitch of the blades. It is the speed of the wind that causes the "wind-chill" effect that you want to avoid in the winter. So what you really want to compare is the "wind-speed" at each speed setting...and our website is the "only" place where you can do such comparisons.

If you are more concerned with air distribution during the summer and destratification during the winter than the actual wind-chill effect of a fan, you should consider a larger ceiling fan. Larger fans will distribute air over a larger area, so the wind-speed or intensity of the airflow (which is what creates wind-chill) is typically less than that of a smaller fan...and yes, they generally run at a lower RPM because there is more drag on the motor."

Below are the search results from all 12 major brands of ceiling fans on our site compared to the average performance of over 2,000 ceiling fan models. The search has been filtered to show only fans that meet the following criteria:

1. The fan has more than 4 speeds
2. The CFM and RPM data is available for at least High and Low Speed
3. The blade span is at least 50"

The results are sorted by the lowest LFM at low speed. LFM is the calculation of wind speed in Linear Feet per minute, which is the best way to compare the airflow intensity of ceiling fans with different size blades. The highlighted columns are the critical data for comparison. Look for the fans with the Highest LFM on High Speed to cool you off best during the summer and the Lowest LFM on Low Speed to minimize the wind-chill effect during the winter. Be sure to consider the blade span as well to make sure you get a fan that will fit the size of the room. Keep in mind, the largest fan that will fit into the space is most likely the best to meet your considerations. Also, look at the differences in RPM so youc an verify what I have said.

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Image	Model Details	Span	High Speed	Low Speed	High Speed RPM	Low Speed RPM	High Speed LFM/MPH	Low Speed LFM/MPH
AVERAGE CEILING FAN DATA		52"	5564.67	2156.96	200.57	85.87	385.15 (LFM) 4.38 (MPH)	155.7 (LFM) 1.77 (MPH)
	Fanimation - The Big Island (DC Motor) Super Efficient DC Motor 165L Motor 6 Speeds	80"	10082	2567	109	31	288.83 (LFM) 3.28 (MPH)	73.54 (LFM) 0.84 (MPH)
1515	135	50	323.14 (LFM) 3.67 (MPH)	88.57 (LFM) 1.01 (MPH)
2394	107	36	257.73 (LFM) 2.93 (MPH)	89.58 (LFM) 1.02 (MPH)
	Kichler - 58" Arkwright with Polycarbonate Blades Super Efficient DC Motor - 125mm x 65mm Motor 6 Speeds	58"	6847	1689	191	50	373.18 (LFM) 4.24 (MPH)	92.05 (LFM) 1.05 (MPH)
1834	138	47	313.12 (LFM) 3.56 (MPH)	93.4 (LFM) 1.06 (MPH)
	Kichler - Lehr 125mm Super Efficient DC Motor Motor 6 Speeds	80"	7408	3310	66	31	212.22 (LFM) 2.41 (MPH)	94.82 (LFM) 1.08 (MPH)
	Kichler - 58" Arkwright with Plywood Blades Super Efficient DC Motor - 125mm x 65mm Motor 6 Speeds	58"	6420	1766	178	51	349.91 (LFM) 3.98 (MPH)	96.25 (LFM) 1.09 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Minimalist Max 72 85mm x 65mm Super Efficient DC Motor 6 Speeds	72"	9091	2996	101	36	321.53 (LFM) 3.65 (MPH)	105.96 (LFM) 1.2 (MPH)
1849	170	65	382.83 (LFM) 4.35 (MPH)	108.1 (LFM) 1.23 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - Aviation Super Efficient DC 120mm x 75mm Motor 6 Speeds	60"	6604	2276	117	45	336.34 (LFM) 3.82 (MPH)	115.92 (LFM) 1.32 (MPH)
	Kichler - 52" Monarch II Select 172mm x 17mm Motor 6 Speeds	52"	5716	1759	174	59	387.58 (LFM) 4.4 (MPH)	119.27 (LFM) 1.36 (MPH)
1855	161	51	371.51 (LFM) 4.22 (MPH)	125.78 (LFM) 1.43 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Avvo 120mm x 25mm DC Extreme Green Motor Motor 6 Speeds	56"	6598	2160	158	62	385.75 (LFM) 4.38 (MPH)	126.28 (LFM) 1.44 (MPH)
	Casablanca - DC LED Stealth 165mm Super Efficient DC Motor Motor 6 Speeds	54"	6142	2013	177	65	386.18 (LFM) 4.39 (MPH)	126.57 (LFM) 1.44 (MPH)
2013	177	65	386.18 (LFM) 4.39 (MPH)	126.57 (LFM) 1.44 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Lily 120mm x 25mm Super Efficient DC Motor 6 Speeds	56"	7301	2282	162	63	426.85 (LFM) 4.85 (MPH)	133.42 (LFM) 1.52 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Empire 188mm x 14mm Super Efficient DC Motor 6 Speeds	60"	7668	2661	161	62	390.53 (LFM) 4.44 (MPH)	135.52 (LFM) 1.54 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - Simple 123mm x 30mm Super Efficient DC Motor 6 Speeds	52"	7051	2032	191	51	478.1 (LFM) 5.43 (MPH)	137.78 (LFM) 1.57 (MPH)
3083	134	51	361.1 (LFM) 4.1 (MPH)	142.42 (LFM) 1.62 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Maverick 60 85mm x 65mm DC Extreme Green Motor Motor 6 Speeds	60"	8224	2803	181	58	418.85 (LFM) 4.76 (MPH)	142.76 (LFM) 1.62 (MPH)
	Fanimation - Odyn Wet Super Efficient DC Motor 165mm Motor 6 Speeds	84"	11190	5550	63	31	290.77 (LFM) 3.3 (MPH)	144.21 (LFM) 1.64 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - Ninety Nine 172mm x 25mm Super Efficient DC Motor 6 Speeds	99"	13350	7803	83	51	249.74 (LFM) 2.84 (MPH)	145.97 (LFM) 1.66 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Cannondale 85mm x 65mm DC Extreme Green Motor Motor 6 Speeds	56"	7396	2500	137	50	432.41 (LFM) 4.91 (MPH)	146.16 (LFM) 1.66 (MPH)
5124	100	51	295.02 (LFM) 3.35 (MPH)	146.79 (LFM) 1.67 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - 72" Xtreme Super Efficient DC 165mm x 25mm Motor 6 Speeds	72"	8661	4331	102	51	306.32 (LFM) 3.48 (MPH)	153.18 (LFM) 1.74 (MPH)
6705	87	51	289.06 (LFM) 3.28 (MPH)	158.75 (LFM) 1.8 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Maverick 70 85mm x 65mm DC Extreme Green Motor Motor 6 Speeds	70"	9018	4393	130	63	337.43 (LFM) 3.83 (MPH)	164.38 (LFM) 1.87 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Minimalist 165mm X 18mm Super Efficient DC Motor 6 Speeds	56"	7785	2843	178	61	455.15 (LFM) 5.17 (MPH)	166.22 (LFM) 1.89 (MPH)
	Fanimation - Islander (DC Motor) Super Efficient DC Motor 125S Motor 6 Speeds	52"	5412	2477	121	50	366.96 (LFM) 4.17 (MPH)	167.95 (LFM) 1.91 (MPH)
	Kichler - Lehr II 125mm Super Efficient DC Motor Motor 6 Speeds	54"	5254	2750	105	51	330.35 (LFM) 3.75 (MPH)	172.91 (LFM) 1.96 (MPH)
	Casablanca - Stingray Super Efficient DC Motor Motor 6 Speeds	60"	6684	3448	167	73	340.41 (LFM) 3.87 (MPH)	175.61 (LFM) 2 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - 96" Xtreme Super Efficient DC 165mm x 25mm Motor 6 Speeds	96"	13080	9152	72	51	260.22 (LFM) 2.96 (MPH)	182.07 (LFM) 2.07 (MPH)
4600	127	65	364.13 (LFM) 4.14 (MPH)	193.62 (LFM) 2.2 (MPH)
7991	61	47	259.85 (LFM) 2.95 (MPH)	207.64 (LFM) 2.36 (MPH)
	Montecarlo - Turbine Super Efficient DC Motor 6 Speeds	56"	8334	3556	108	51	487.25 (LFM) 5.54 (MPH)	207.9 (LFM) 2.36 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - Wing (DC Motor) Super Efficient DC 125mm x 30mm Motor 6 Speeds	52"	5974	4519	150	50	405.07 (LFM) 4.6 (MPH)	306.41 (LFM) 3.48 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - Artemis XL5 Super Efficient DC 172mm x 25mm Motor 6 Speeds	62"	8289	6452	91	74	395.36 (LFM) 4.49 (MPH)	307.74 (LFM) 3.5 (MPH)
	Minka Aire - Slipstream Super Efficient DC 165mm x 30mm Motor 6 Speeds	65"	8778	7107	98	78	380.93 (LFM) 4.33 (MPH)	308.41 (LFM) 3.5 (MPH)