Best electric fans for your home: Tried and tested models for keeping cool in 2023

Carla Chalis, HELLO! Online’s Shopping Partnerships Editor: “Our house gets hot – and I mean hot – in the summer, and the Dimplex Tower Fan has seen us through two hot British summers. We use it in our living room as it oscillates, so no matter where you sit you’ll get a cool icy blast. It has a remote control (we don’t use it, though) and three speed settings, but we tend to find the slowest setting is enough to keep us cool without being frozen.

“It isn’t the prettiest fan, and won’t score for many on the style credentials, but the tower design fits discreetly into the corner of the room. The noise levels won’t be for everyone; the lowest speed setting is relatively quiet but crank up to speed 3 and it’s louder than the TV. Overall, an affordable fan that does the job but won't win as the most stylish!”

• Pros: Oscilates, 3 speed settings, affordable, remote control included, one year warranty, timer function
• Cons: Loud on the highest speed setting, not the most stylish
• Size: 47.6cm x 12.3cm x 12.3cm
• Noise level: 50 dB
• Weight: 8kg
• Speed settings: 3
• Power: 40WW
• Remote? Yes

Katherine Robinson, HELLO! Online’s Senior Lifestyle Editor: “I live in Spain, where I work remotely, so as you can imagine, I’ve tried and tested a fair few fans in my time. This is my absolute favourite. It definitely won’t blend in, but it does the job fantastically - and the misting function is amazing. Especially since I have a pug who suffers with the dry heat, so adding a little cooling humidity to the air is much needed. 

“I fill the water tank once a day, and pretty much have the fan going a full 12 hours - sometimes more. I love the fact it’s on wheels so it’s easy to move around, and the noise level isn’t overly intrusive, especially on the lower settings. I bought it last summer and am really pleased with the purchase.” 

• Pros: Affordable, extra cooling misting function, wheels on base, remote control, three speed settings, large capacity water tank, sleep mode, aroma function
• Cons: High speed levels are quite noisy, heavy (8kg) - not ideal if you need to be carrying up and down stairs, not the most stylish.
• Size: 150cm x 75cm x 50cm
• Noise level: 70dB
• Weight: 8kg
• Speed settings: 3
• Power: 90WW
• Remote? Yes

Sophie Vokes-Dudgeon, HELLO! Online Head of Digital: “The ease of use of this fan is really impressive. A single on/off button at the base of the unit makes it sleek and elegant to look at, and all other options are controlled either via your phone (the entire unit is WiFi-enabled) or using the small remote control which is magnetic and fits perfectly on the top of the fan so you don’t have to worry about losing it.

“The current temperature is displayed on a small screen on the fan (not always a good thing! Knowing your room is currently 30 degrees does instantly make you feel hotter!). But it’s just one flick to engage the cooling function – or if you’re using it as a heater, you scroll up and down to select your perfect room temperature. I use this fan a lot in the winter too for the heating function.

“For us the main benefit was my son’s hay fever which greatly reduced when he spent the night with it running on low. It's important to remember that this is not an aircon unit, although it looks as if it should be, so you can’t expect to shut the door and cool the room down to a comfortable temperature in minutes. But on a very hot day, with a bit of a through-breeze from outside you do feel undoubtedly cooler when the air is blowing in your direction.”

• Pros: Bladeless, remote and  app-controlled, purifies air via HEPA filter, heating function, extremely stylish, shows air quality, two-year guarantee
• Cons: Higher price point, fan isn’t as strong as a ‘traditional’ electric fan with blades
• Size: 76cm x 20cm x 24cm
• Noise Level: 62 dB
• Weight: 5.5kg
• Power: 40WW
• Number of Speed Settings: 10
• Remote Control: yes

Katherine Robinson, HELLO! Online Senior Lifestyle Editor: “As soon as I tried out the Dreo Smart fan, all other models were quickly relegated to the back of the cupboard. Not only is it way quieter than any fan I’ve ever tried, but it does the job twice as well and it looks super stylish. I love that you can have it oscillate up and down as well as left and right and the remote control feels well-made and sturdy. It’s just a really high-quality fan across the board, and I love that you can control it from your phone using the Dreo app or with Alexa.”

• Pros: Ultra quiet, Smart Wifi, Easy to clean, 100ft maximum airflow, adjustable base, chic design, child lock for extra safety
• Cons: Keeps selling out - be quick if you want to grab one!
• Size: 324 x 359 x 955mm
• Noise Level: 25dB
• Power: 36WW
• Weight: 7.27kg
• Number of Speed Settings: 8 - (plus turbo boost)
• Remote control: Yes

Tim Kiek, HELLO! Online Engagement Editor: “The Ignenix Oscillating Tower fan keeps my family cooler than cucumbers in cool boxes. Boasting a timer function and sleep mode for those sweltering summer nights, the Igenix lowers temperatures with such ease it could easily nab a cameo in Frozen III. Furthermore, the fan can be remote operated, so when we are feeling severely heat sapped, we need not worry about wasting precious energy rising from our sofa. An added bonus? The swish tower shape and oscillating functionality are a source of infinite fascination to the little people in the house.”

• Pros: Extremely affordable, portable, oscillating, remote control, overheat protection, rubber grip feet
• Cons: Not the most stylish, 
• Size: 81.1cm x 17.8cm x 16cm
• Noise Level: Not specified
• Weight: 3.34kg
• Power: 40WW
• Number of Speed Settings: 3
• Remote Control: Yes

Katherine Robinson: HELLO! Online Senior Lifestyle Editor: "I bought four of these fans ahead of our beach holiday last year so everyone in the family could have one. They are a massive hit - even my husband loves his! Apart from the fact that they’re shaped like a cute ‘lil bear, we love them because they’re super versatile -  a fan, torch, and battery pack all in one, and the fan is powerful! 

"Battery life is good and it was great to use in the car to power up the kids' iPad battery when they started running low. The torch was a great night light for my youngest for the first few nights while she got used to sleeping in an unfamiliar room. The only thing you need to be careful of is that if you touch the spinning blades on the high-speed setting, it hurts! So not a fan for very young children, though mine (six and 10) understand they have to be careful with it and we’ve had no incidents so far."

• Pros: Power bank, fan and torch in one, decent battery life, looks cute, folds into a stand, affordable, wrist strap
• Cons: Hard blades which hurt if make contact with skin
• Size: 12cm x 3.7cm x 4cm
• Noise Level: 48dB
• Weight: 170g
• Power: 5 Volts
• Number of Speed Settings: 2
• Remote Control: no

Katherine Robinson: HELLO! Online Senior Lifestyle Editor:  “I was a bit hesitant to shell out over 100 quid for a desk fan, but I’m glad I did - it’s well worth the price. It’s by far the most quiet fan I’ve ever used and despite its small size does a great job of keeping me cool while I work. The light display can be turned off and on, which is a bonus if you want to use it at night and don’t want the light disrupting your sleep. It has 12 speeds, which is impressive, and you can set a timer.”

• Pros: remote control, timer function, 
• Cons: On the expensive side for a desk fan, extremely quiet, very cheap to run, remote control, carry strap, timer setting, impressive number of speed settings.
• Size: 27.9cm diameter, 40.3cm x 28.5cm x 30.5cm
• Noise Level: 20dB
• Weight: 3.2kg
• Power: 10WW
• Number of Speed Settings: 12
• Remote Control: yes