Ceiling Fan Light Kits
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Ceiling fan light kits are the most popular accessories for ceiling-type fans, also because they are the most useful.

A ceiling fan light kit can complete the picture, bring some much needed light to the room in question as well as well as give your room a wonderfully decorative accent. When you look into purchasing a light kit for your ceiling fan, you are adding a valuable aspect to the current room set up.

In most cases, buying a fan with a built in light kit is more practical than buying one without it. Thankfully, most models nowadays already come packaged with lighting and consumers have to buy them separately only rarely.

Advantages of Using Dual-Purpose Fans

Using fans with one or more light pieces is a convenient and efficient way to add lighting and cooling to a room using just a single appliance. Imagine putting a light piece and a ceiling fan in the same room? Your ceiling will look cluttered and will not look balanced. Instead of putting a single ceiling centerpiece, you’re going to need two. But when you use a fan with lighting, the problem is solved.

Different Types of Light Kits

Downlights are the most common type of fan lighting configuration. This refers to any type of light piece as long as the direction of the light is downwards. Usually these use the more traditional bowl lights or light globes.

One example of downlight type ceiling fan light kits is that which comes with the Minka Aire Delano II, which features a rustic-looking Scavo glass downlight that uses a 100-watt halogen light. Usually, downlights are also integrated into the design, like in the case of the Minka Aire Artemis, which means you no longer have to assemble it.

Uplights are not as common as downlights, but they do have a unique advantage. Since uplights send light upwards, they are great for adding a soft glow instead of a harsh light to a room. This creates an ambient lighting to a room, adding more mood and character in the process. One example of a fan with an uplight is the Casablanca Panama.

Some fans also have both an uplight and a downlight, so you can choose what kind of lighting you want for the occasion. One such example is the Hunter Piedmont, which uses four 25-watt candelabra bulbs for the uplight and two 60-watt candelabra bulbs for the downlight.

Fans with decorative lights are less common and are usually used in special rooms such as ballrooms or grand living rooms. Usually, these feature chandelier lighting with a lot of details. However, there are also less formal decorative ceiling fan light kits such as the Hunter Baseball fan, whose light kit is shaped like a baseball.

Some fans feature light shades, which look like little lamp shades, usually coming in groups of three or four. These are also a bit decorative and have a dainty, old-world charm to them.

Features to Look For

Some light kits offer ambient lighting to a room. These make rooms look relaxing, soothing, and even romantic. If you want this kind of effect, look for a light kit with a softer glow. Usually these are uplights with light dimming feature.

The light dimming feature allows you to adjust the intensity and brightness of the light and to tone it down when you don’t want the lighting to be bright and harsh. These ceiling fan lights can also serve as a dim light or a night light.

To be able to switch the light kit on and off and to control its light dimming feature, you should look for ceiling fan light kits that come with either a wall control or a remote control. A wall control means you won’t misplace it like a remote control since the control panel will be installed to a wall.

However, you’re going to have to stand up every time you need to make adjustments to the lighting. A remote control allows you to control the light as well as the fan from anywhere in the room, but they do get misplaced a lot.

Some fans already come packaged with their wall or remote control, while some require you to buy these accessories separately.

Ceiling Fan Light Kits – How to Choose

If you already have a fan without a light, then that’s when you should buy a light kit separately. Just make sure to choose properly. Remember that your light kit should match your existing fan’s style and finish. Always buy the light kit from the same brand as your fan. Also, if your fan is UL damp rated or UL wet listed, make sure the light kit has exactly the same rating. Same goes for Energy Star rated fans.

Also, check if the light kit uses fluorescent bulbs or halogen bulbs. Fluorescent lighting produce a bright light that can light up the entire room. They are, however, more energy efficient. Halogen light, on the other hand, creates a softer light and can be dimmed.

When buying a fan, if you want lighting, try to buy one that already comes with a light kit. This is better than buying the light kit separately, although there are individual light kits available. The problem with buying them separately is that you’re going to have to find the right lighting that goes with your ceiling fan.

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