Featured on France 2’s evening news, the Journal de 20h — Thursday 18 June 2026, presented by Léa Salamé.
At the height of the heatwave, France 2 compared air conditioners and fans on its evening news, with the Exhale ceiling fan among the devices highlighted. The conclusion echoes what we champion at Brasseurs d’air RE2020: for just a few dozen watts, a ceiling fan cools the perceived atmosphere by several degrees, with no refrigerant gas and no excess consumption. A low-impact solution, particularly relevant under France’s RE2020 environmental regulation.
Moving the air rather than cooling it: what the report revealed
The heatwave has revived a question many of us face every summer: should you invest in an air conditioner or turn to a fan? To answer it, the journalists settled on three concrete criteria: the comfort actually delivered, the budget and the electricity consumption. On all three counts, the ceiling fan comes out ahead.
The report makes its case with several models, from the entry-level pedestal fan to the priciest air conditioners. Among the devices filmed is the Exhale, a ceiling fan with an unconventional design (no visible blades) installed in the home of a resident of the Paris region. The on-screen result: around 4 °C lower in perceived temperature and, in a room at 26 °C, a steady sensation of freshness, without the clamminess we usually associate with intense heat.
Beyond this single case, the finding holds for the entire category, whether traditional bladed models or more design-led versions. In stores, the range has broadened and prices now span a wide spectrum, with some models adjustable in height to suit the room. One customer interviewed recounts turning down an air-conditioning quote he found too steep: once the cost, the value for money and the environmental impact were weighed up, the ceiling fan emerged as the most sensible choice.
It is on energy that the gap truly widens. Where air conditioning draws between 1,000 and 10,000 watts, a ceiling fan needs just 20 to 50 watts at full speed, and without resorting to the refrigerant fluids responsible for greenhouse gas emissions. This frugality explains the surge in sales, now on a par with those of portable air conditioners. Yet the potential remains vast: barely 2.5% of French households own a ceiling fan, against 60% in the United States. Within an RE2020 mindset, where every kilowatt-hour and every degree counts, the ceiling fan clearly has a part to play.
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