The 10 Best Tower Fans to Beat the Heat
Easy, breezy tower fans that save on space (and energy) while still keeping you cool.
This year has been a hot one. How hot? So far, 2023 is on track to be the hottest year on record worldwide. July 2023 already broke the record for the world's hottest month ever recorded. And guess what? Thanks to climate change, those records will likely continue to fall in the coming years.
So staying cool is critical, not only for your comfort but for your health. But running your air conditioner constantly isn't the answer either. A/C units use a ton of energy, which is not only expensive but can both lead to blackouts due to overuse — leaving you to suffer in the heat — and exacerbate global warming even more.
So one way you can keep cool without A/C, or even use with it on a lower setting to increase its efficiency, is a tower fan. Tower fans use a tiny fraction of the energy of a window air conditioner (which in turn use less than a central A/C unit), making them a smart option to stay cool when temperatures rise.
What to Look for in a Tower Fan
Speed
At a minimum, a tower fan should have three speed settings, ranging from low to high. Beyond that, you can find tower fans that cycle through multiple speeds — to mimic actual breezes — or have a wide variety of speeds. Generally, cheaper tower fans will have fewer fan speeds, but that might be all you need.
Size
You can get a tower fan that's big enough to circulate a breeze throughout the room or a fan that's good for personal use, like one that can sit atop a table. Height usually doesn't correlate with the strength of the fan, but the size can dictate which one will fit in the space you're trying to fill.
Oscillation
Most tower fans will oscillate, meaning they can move back and forth instead of remaining stationary. This allows them to better circulate the air in your space since more air is being moved around instead of blowing in a single direction. This creates more of a breeze effect that in turn can better cool you down, especially if there is more than one person trying to enjoy the breeze.
Remote
A tower fan that lacks a remote can be a dealbreaker. While it's not that hard to get up and adjust the fan speed, it's also the same reason why all televisions come with a remote now. If you really can't be bothered to get up to adjust a fan, then make sure it comes with a remote. And if you really want to level up your experience, get a wifi-connected smart tower fan that will let you control it with your phone or smart speaker.