Do Dyson fans cool the air? The facts and what I've found when using them
Did I make the right investment to feel cooler?


If you've suffered through sleepless nights thanks to hot weather, you've no doubt either gone and picked up a fan, or are planning to do so soon. Since arguably the most stylish are the sleek bladeless Dyson numbers, chances are you're considering pulling the plug and investing in one. But, aside from their good looks, how do Dyson fans cool the air in your home?
Consistently ranking as having some of the best fans on the market, Dyson have more or less cornered the market on statement air treatment designs, so of course I, a sucker for anything pretty, do in fact own a Dyson fan myself. But we all know they look cool, so the real question is how well they work.
And while, as I'll explain, they definitely do work extremely well, the fact of the matter is that Dyson fans do not cool the air. But that's not the whole story...
It's not just Dysons – fans in general don't actually work by cooling the air, and that's not what they were designed to do, either.
'No fan actively cools a room, you need an one of the best air conditioners for that,' explains Amy Lockwood, Ideal Home's Sleep Editor and resident fan expert. 'Instead, a fan circulates the air.'
'This has the effect of creating a cooling sensation on the skin as it evaporates any stickiness or moisture from the skin which has a cooling effect. You need to be within the radius of the moving air in order to feel the benefit though'.
Ok, so no fan is designed to cool the air in a room, but instead they create cooling effect. So if you're wondering specifically are Dyson fans worth it to ensure you feel cool in your home, here's what I think after having owned two for several years now.
One of my fans is basically the one you think of when you imagine a Dyson fan - the Purifier Cool AutoReact. This model has advanced air purification, which was one of the reasons I was drawn to it, as at the time I was living in a flat above a very busy road.
The second is the Dyson Hot+Cool, which I eventually invested in after I realised I needed an extra heater of some kind and decided one which doubled up as a fan made the most sense. When I have guests over in the summer, I can rest easy knowing they aren't tossing and turning in the stickiness of London evenings.
Why am I telling you all this? Well I haven't just tested one, I've been using two different models consistently for a number of years so I feel pretty well situated to speak on how well they work at cooling a space.
And work they do. I run hot, and am a self-professed expert on handheld and personal fans, so if the first Dyson wasn't up to scratch I certainly wouldn't have opted for a second one.
As explained, they don't cool the air, but they do provide a very efficient cooling effect. However, even though all fans technically work in the same way, there are a few key details which I feel make these worth the cooling hype.
The most used functions on my fan are the Sleep Mode, which I combine with the Timer. The former quietens the fan, so if it's so hot that you need the full power of the machine which typically has quite a noticeable sound, this will be reduced and sound like a faint whisper.
The Timer I then put on before I fall asleep, to ensure I don't get too cold from having it blasting my way all night. The fact I need this really does hammer home the fact they they do make you feel cooler, as if it didn't I would instead be keeping it on all night long.
So while the answer to do Dyson fans cool the air is a technical no, my personal experience is that they certainly make you feel cooler, and therefore help you work and sleep in the heat.
However, there's no doubt that they come at a price, so if you're thinking about getting one I would recommend to first check to see if there are any Dyson deals which could help you out.
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Thea Babington-Stitt is the Managing Editor for Ideal Home. Thea has been working across some of the UK’s leading interiors titles since 2016.
She started working on these magazines and websites after graduating from City University London with a Masters in Magazine Journalism. Before moving to Ideal Home, Thea was News and Features Editor at Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc and Country Homes & Interiors. In addition to her role at Ideal Home, Thea is studying for a diploma in interior design with The Interior Design Institute.
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