As the heatwave sets in, France 2’s flagship evening news, the Journal de 20h, compared air conditioners and ceiling fans. The verdict: the ceiling fan stands out as the smart choice — efficient, economical and environmentally sound all at once. Our Exhale model delivers up to 4 °C of perceived cooling while drawing just 20 to 50 watts.
Based on a report from France 2’s evening news, the Journal de 20h (Thursday 18 June 2026 edition, presented by Léa Salamé).
Heatwave: the ceiling fan, a smart alternative to air conditioning
With the heatwave in full swing, shops are being besieged and many households find themselves torn between an air conditioner and a fan. The report weighs the options against three criteria: efficiency, price and energy consumption.
The piece opens with the Exhale ceiling fan, whose striking design recalls a flying saucer thanks to its integrated blades. Installed in the home of a resident of the Paris region, it delivers around 4 °C of perceived cooling. At 26 °C in the room, the atmosphere turns thoroughly pleasant: you feel a genuine breeze of fresh air, without the clammy sensation of perspiration or clothes clinging to the skin.
In shops, ceiling fans now command a prominent place on the shelves, with more affordable models, some adjustable in height. One customer recounts settling on a fan after receiving a quote for air conditioning he found prohibitively expensive: between the cost, the value for money and the environmental dimension, the ceiling fan struck him as the well-considered choice.
The ceiling fan emerges as an excellent compromise, and sales are soaring: today it sells almost as well as portable air conditioners. Its chief asset remains its energy efficiency: a ceiling fan consumes very little (20 to 50 watts at top speed), compared with 1,000 to 10,000 watts for air conditioning, and emits none of the greenhouse gases contained in air-conditioning units. The report closes on a telling statistic: only 2.5% of French households own one, against 60% in the United States.
Watch the France 2 report
You can turn on subtitles directly in the video player.