4 Best Window Fans, Tested During a Heat Wave
These compact coolers get the job done while saving you energy and floor space.
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Not long ago, an early heat wave settled over the Northeast, before I had a chance to switch my home’s HVAC system from heating to cooling mode. Fortunately, I own a few window fans, which were easy to pop in, keeping my family and me comfortable through the suddenly hot spring nights.
Our top picks:
- Best overall: Lasko Electrically Reversible Twin Window Fan with Bluetooth Technology
- Best value: Hampton Bay Twin Window Fan
- Best low-profile: Vornado Transom Fan
- Best whole-house: Air King 9166F 20-Inch Whole House Window Fan
I think every home should have a window fan—or two or three, depending on the size of the household. They don’t deliver the same power as a window AC, since they’re designed to cool your body, rather than lower the temperature in the room. But our experts in the Good Housekeeping Institute Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab say they’re plenty effective, especially when used at close range, say, in a bedroom window near the bed. By fitting into your window frame, they’re also a space-efficient cooling solution, like ceiling fans, but without the tricky installation.
Here are four winning fans from our latest tests, which took place over several weeks in our Lab and in the homes of consumer testers.
Pros
- Excellent cooling, exhaust, and air exchange performance
- Built-in thermostat adjusts fan speed as needed
- Bluetooth-enabled for remote operation
Cons
- Doesn't come with a remote
I love the versatility of this twin window fan from Lasko. Installation was a breeze, thanks to its compact design and built-in, expandable panel, making it suitable for windows ranging from 24 to 32 inches. The twin fans delivered a solid cooling breeze in our performance tests, though not the same forceful wind that larger floor fans can generate. That’s true for most window fans, since their smaller blades generate less air movement.
The Lasko fan comes with a lot of useful features. Its digital display lets you choose between three fan speeds, and you can even reverse the fan blades to switch from intake to exhaust mode. There’s even an exchange setting where one fan pulls fresh air into the room while the other pushes stale air out—a handy option if your room feels muggy or has lingering odors you want to clear out.
One thing to keep in mind with any fan is that it doesn’t actually lower the temperature of a room—it cools the people nearby by creating a wind-chill effect that helps sweat evaporate and body heat dissipate, making you feel more comfortable. What makes the Lasko stand out, though, is its built-in thermostat. It monitors the room temperature and automatically adjusts the fan speed, kicking into a higher setting when the room warms up and slowing down again as things cool off.
The fan is also Bluetooth-compatible and can be controlled via the Lasko app. That feels a little gimmicky to me, since there’s no real point in running a window fan when you’re away from home, unlike a room AC, which you might want to turn on on your way home so the place will be cool when you arrive. But the fan doesn’t come with a remote control, so it's nice to be able to control the unit from bed via the app on your phone, instead of getting up and walking across the room. Lasko also sells a non-smart version of this fan that comes with a remote instead of Bluetooth control.
| Dimensions | 4.25" x 21.69" x 10.23" |
| Window compatibility | 24" to 32" |
| Speeds | 3 |
| Modes | Intake, exhaust, exchange |
| Max air flow | 560 CFM |
Pros
- Can be used in exhaust, intake, and air-exchange modes
- Comes with a remote
- Excellent price
Cons
- Construction is less durable than other tested models
This Home Depot-exclusive is the least expensive window fan we tested, with little sacrifice in features or performance. That makes it a great choice if you need to purchase a few window fans for your home.
The twin fan is designed for windows 23 to 35 inches wide. Installation wasn’t quite as smooth as other window fans, due to the somewhat flimsy side panels. But once it was in place, it did a solid job of circulating air throughout the room, though its maximum airflow is lower than that of other tested fans. Our experts also noted that the fan is taller than most, so it takes up more of the view from the window and blocks more natural light from entering the space.
I like that the twin-fan design allows you to switch between exhaust, intake, and air-exchange modes, and the three fan speeds let you find just the right level of breeze. Though the Hampton Bay fan is not Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-compatible, it does come with a remote control.
| Dimensions | 12.6” x 23.8” x 5.3” |
| Window compatibility | 24” to 34” |
| Speeds | 3 |
| Modes | Intake, exhaust, exchange |
| Max air flow | 363 CFM |
Pros
- Low-profile design preserves the view and natural light
- Works with extra-wide windows
- Quiet operation
Cons
- Not the easiest to clean
The biggest knock against window fans is that they take away from the view and block natural light from entering the room. Vornado, one of the more innovative brands in the fan category, has addressed those drawbacks with its unique Transom Window Air Circulator. At just over 7 inches tall, it’s about half the height of other window fans from our tests, making it much more discreet when it’s sitting in the window frame.
The low-profile design makes installation particularly easy, and the fan comes with modular foam blocks that make it compatible with windows up to 40 inches wide, the widest of all tested fans. The 8-foot power cord is also the longest in our tests, so you shouldn’t have to worry about extension cords.
Another quality that makes the Vornado easy to miss when it’s in your window is its quiet operation. At its lowest speed, our experts hardly detected the fan's whirr, even as it still delivered a pleasant breeze. Like the Lasko, it includes a thermostat that automatically adjusts the fan speed based on the room temperature.
The biggest downside with the Vornado is that it can’t be disassembled for a deep cleaning. Instead, the brand recommends using the brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner to suck up any accumulated dirt and dust.
| Dimensions | 5.7" x 26" x 7.2" |
| Window compatibility | 26" to 40" |
| Speeds | 4 |
| Modes | Intake and exhaust |
| Max air flow | 1,315 CFMs |
Pros
- Exceptional cooling power
- Durable construction
- Reduces the need for mechanical air conditioning in the home
Cons
- Large housing takes up more window space
If you’re looking to create air circulation throughout the entire house, you’ll need a window fan with serious power. That’s what separates the Air King from other fans in our review. At maximum speed, its 20-inch blades can move 3,560 CFMs (that’s cubic feet of air per minute), which is between three and five times more powerful than the CFMs of other standard window fans.
As you’d expect, the Air King is a larger unit, with a required window height of 26.25 inches (compare that with the 7-inch height of the Vornado Transom). One design feature that helps compensate for the size is a special mounting system that allows the window it’s installed in to be closed without removing the fan.
You’re spending more for the Air King. Still, the solidly constructed fan should hold up for many years, and its significant cooling power makes it a legitimate stand-in for central AC, potentially lowering energy costs over time.
| Dimensions | 26.75″ x 11.25″ x 26.25″ |
| Window compatibility | 27″ to 38" (plus minimum height of 26.25″) |
| Speeds | 3 |
| Modes | Intake and exhaust |
| Max air flow | 3,560 CFMs |
How we test window fans
For this report, our experts in the Home Improvement & Outdoor Lab evaluated popular window fans widely available online and at major retailers. Hands-on testing took place in our Lab and in the homes of consumer testers, allowing us to assess installation, cooling performance, and ease of use in real-world conditions.When testing window fans, we focus on the following factors:
✔️ Performance: We use an anemometer in a windowless room to measure the airflow speed produced by the fan at a set distance at both its maximum and minimum settings. We measure fan noise with a decibel meter in a quiet room and compare loudness levels across fans.
✔️ Safety: We assess safety by examining whether a finger or ring can pass through the grate to any rotating parts or pinch points.
✔️ Ease of use: To evaluate how easy it is to use the fan, we start by documenting the fan's dimensions and weight, giving us a comparative metric for understanding how easy it might be to install in a typical window. We disassemble the fans for cleaning and review how easy they are to take apart and put together. We also assess the intuitiveness of the control panel.
✔️ Extra features: Finally, we consider the number of settings on the fan, as well as any additional or unique features, such as remote operation, smart technology integration, and automatic shut-off.
What to look for when shopping for the best window fan
✔️ Check the fit: Before purchasing a window fan, check the dimensions of your window to make sure it will fit. Residential windows can be as narrow as 24 inches, which won’t be compatible with all window fans. At the other end of the spectrum, you’ll want a larger fan for oversized windows, say those measuring 48 inches wide.
✔️ Consider the features: Most window fans have two modes: intake, for blowing cool air into the room, and exhaust, for pulling hot or stale air out of the room. Some models also feature an air-exchange mode, in which one of the twin fans draws in air, and the other sends it out. Also, pay attention to the number of speed settings, since a four-speed fan lets you customize airflow better than a one- or two-speed fan. Smart window fans can be operated through the app or smart speaker, while a remote lets you control the fan from across the room.
✔️ Think about cleaning: Since they face outdoors, window fans tend to collect a lot of grime. Look for a fan that's easy to disassemble so you can regularly clean the blades and grill of dust and dirt that accumulates over time. Cleanability is especially important if you or someone in your home has allergies, since you want to regularly remove dust, pollen, and other allergens from the fan.
Why trust Good Housekeeping?
Dan DiClerico has been testing and writing about home comfort products, including fans of all kinds, window and portable air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and more, for 25 years. As director of Home Improvement & Outdoor at the Good Housekeeping Institute, DiClerico oversaw the latest round of window fan testing in our Labs, as well as the continuous in-home, survey-based consumer testing that allows us to evaluate these devices in real-world conditions.
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