Picture yourself finally getting the set of keys to your very first home. It is a new home so no doubt there wouldn't be any furnitures for you to move in to. No fans, refrigerator, lights, bed, air-conditioning or even a chair. Then is when you know that you have a budget, just one sum of money to turn your "box" into your home. Boy, is that going to be difficult.
This is when you have to draw a line between the essential from the unnecessary. For example, it goes without saying that a bed is essential, no home is complete till there is at least a mattress for its weary homeowner to rest on. Fan is another such essentiality, or shall we say... Artificial wind? Since the introduction of air-conditioning into Singapore, almost no Singaporeans can live without it in this tropical country. However, an air-con is an expensive purchase and an even more expensive appliance to maintain. Not to mention the electric bill in your mailbox at the end of every month.
So, a lot of homeowners opt for electric fans to take its place. Electric fans are less energy and cost consuming and cost a portion lesser than aircons. And it seems to have become a local norm to alternate between the using of air-conditioning and electric fans.
Typical Singaporean thinking:
Friends coming over for dinner tonight? On air-con! Cannot let them think I cheapskate!
Home alone tonight? Aiya, hot a bit never mind one la. I am born and bred a citizen of this Sunny island, I am accustom to this heat! *Perspiration drips*
However, we, being consumers, like to know what we are getting ourselves into before actually getting into it. So, we would spend hours researching for worthy deals. To ensure that what we buy is truly worth its price.
Air-con is undoubtedly a wise choice to escape from this heatwave, but your budget might not allow it. Which leaves you with electric fans then. Sure, but which kind? A standing fan is light-weight and portable, but a wall fan or ceiling fan do not take up as much floor space. A wall fan costs lesser than a ceiling fan but its wind coverage area is more restricted than the latter. Argh headache ah! You must be feeling like Sheldon Cooper right now, (The Big Bang Theory, US Sitcom) as he decides between getting a XBOX One or a PS4.
So here's a chart for you to weigh the pros and cons.
Click image to enlarge
Would you also like to know how much your monthly electric bills would vary with the different types of electric fans and aircons? Just calculate with this formula!
So now, you know!
Conclusion
There are so many contributing factors, but ultimately the decision lies with the individual preferences. Some individuals would rather chip a little more out of their reno budget because they cannot stand their nightly sleeps without air-conditioning. While some homeowners find that ceiling fans are more of a necessity than aircon and standing or wall fans for its Fan + Light function and not being a space hogging electrical appliance like the standing fans is a huge plus for many housewives during vacuuming days.
Overall, this blog entry aims to provide constructive suggestions to aid with an easier making of decision for you. So... we hope this helps! :)
"We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us." - Ken Levine
