The best ceiling fans with lights

Fan listings lead with blade span and airflow. But in a bedroom where the fan is the only ceiling fixture, the light decides whether the room is usable after dark, and it is often the number missing from the listing. The fans below were chosen partly because their makers - or a retailer - publish the light output.

The light is also where most of a fan's efficiency comes from. The U.S. Department of Energy's Building America guidance says that about 80% of the possible savings from a more efficient ceiling fan come from more efficient lighting, and advises LED lighting in any light kit.

Honeywell Graceshire 52 in. - the pick for a bedroom. 2,000 lumens from an integrated edge-lit LED, with color adjustable from a warm 2200K to 6500K and dimming from 10% to 100%, all from the remote. It is the one fan here bright enough to light a bedroom alone and flexible enough to be warm at night.
Cons: airflow is published as both 3,844 and 4,000 CFM; motor type not published; three speeds; dry locations only.

Hunter Minimus 52 in. - for a low ceiling. A low-profile fan designed to sit flush on ceilings under 9 feet, with a 1,300 lumen, 3000K LED dimmable by remote and a published 3,634 CFM.
Cons: color fixed at 3000K; indoor use only; CRI not published.

Minka-Aire Simple 52 in. - for the most airflow, indoors or on a covered porch. A DC motor moving 6,231 CFM across six speeds, a wet rating, and a CRI 90, 3000K light. The strongest fan here by a distance.
Cons: about 1,000 lumens delivered is modest for a large room; color fixed at 3000K; the light figures come from a retailer, not Minka's page.

Feit Electric A15 fan bulb - if your fan takes bulbs. 750 lumens at 2700K and CRI 90, dimmable and enclosed rated, in the small A15 shape most medium-base fan kits use. The full bulb comparison is in best light bulbs for ceiling fans.
Cons: damp rated only; 15,000 hour rated life.

Check the ceiling height. On ceilings under about 9 feet a low-profile fan like the Minimus keeps the blades clear of heads. The broader low-ceiling picks are in best lighting for low ceilings.

Match the rating to the room. Dry and indoor ratings are for inside the house; a covered porch wants a damp or wet rating like the Minka's. The terms are explained in wet vs damp rated.

Look for a warm setting. A fan light fixed at 5000K makes a bedroom feel like an office. All three picks can be warm - the Honeywell adjusts, the others are fixed at 3000K.

Plan for a fan-rated box. A fan is heavier than a light and moves; it needs a ceiling box rated to support it. That is an electrician's job, and not one a renter can do without permission.