HVLS fans can help your business be part of the green building movement, which has been around since the late 1800s. The green building movement has influenced building designs over the years, including eco-friendly techniques to maintain a building’s temperature such as:
- Retractable awnings
- Reflective glass
- Air conditioning
However, while retractable awnings, reflective glass and air conditioning are more recent innovations, a much simpler technology has been around for much longer – the fan!
Today’s consumers are hyper-aware of the need to protect and conserve the environment, so they search for sustainable and energy-efficient solutions. Can HVLS fans protect the environment? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!”
If you want your business to prosper, you would do well to add HVLS fans to your business’ green practices and materials. They can help your business use less fossil fuel by regulating your building’s internal environment.
What Is an HVLS Fan?
HVLS stands for high-volume, low speed. They are ceiling fans with massive propellers that are over seven feet long. HVLS fans are ideal for agricultural, industrial, and commercial use, such as in spacious manufacturing facilities, shopping malls, and warehouses.
These types of high quality HVLS ceiling fans are often used in conjunction with HVAC systems to regulate temperature and air quality.
What Air Quality Problems Do HVLS Fans Solve?
An HVLS fan is a 2-for-1 solution that solves the problems of poor interior air quality and saving the planet.
Sweating Slab Syndrome
When the interior of your warehouse, for example, is cooler than the exterior, this can lead to “sweating slab syndrome.” Sweating slab syndrome is when warm air from outside enters the warehouse through open windows, doors, and vents, the heat will come into contact with the cool concrete and condense to form moisture.
This is highly dangerous because warehouses usually have concrete floors, which can be the cause of employee and visitor slip-and-falls. Additionally, machinery and equipment can rust and corrode from moisture accumulation, which means you’ll have to shell out the big bucks for replacements.
An HVLS fan ensures the circulation of the interior air, thereby balancing the temperature and increasing the rate of surface evaporation to prevent accidents and damage.
Sick Building Syndrome
When employees or occupants experience acute health problems in a building, this situation is called “sick building syndrome.” The list of health problems is extensive, but often includes headaches, dizziness, heat exhaustion, and respiratory problems. Individuals usually feel better when away from the building.
Sick building syndrome can be caused by:
- Poor building design
- A lack of maintenance
- Poor operation of the structure’s ventilation system
Bad air quality is usually the source of the problem because the irritants in the air, like dust, pollen, and chemical fumes, are not being circulated. Instead, they’re building up and debilitating employees, which in turn affects the business’ operations.
HVLS fans increase air distribution, allowing employees to be productive and take fewer sick days. What businesses don’t know is that HVAC systems are not all designed to be 100% efficient. That’s why HVLS fans make for excellent sidekicks to HVACS. Together, they ensure a superior workplace environment.
How Can HVLS Fans Have a Positive Impact on the Environment?
By installing HVLS fans in your facility, you can reduce the amount of fossil fuels used to provide your building with energy. This has to do with a process called “thermal stratification.”
Because cold air is denser than warm air, the cold air stays in the lower half of a room while the warm air rises to the upper half. The circulation of HVLS fans distributes the warm air to the lower areas of the building. This prevents your HVAC from working harder than it needs to in order to heat the area.
Since the building’s temperature is balanced, your business can burn less fossil fuel, which means you’re spending less money. Not only does using an HVLS ceiling fan result in major energy savings, it also means that less fossil fuels have been used, which helps the planet.
HVLS fans are more energy efficient than floor fans, which are high speed, low volume. In fact, many high speed fans take as much as six times more energy to run than an HVLS fan!
The long blades of an HVLS fan move such high volumes of air that you don’t need to run them at top speed. According to a 2016 study, an HVLS fan running at half its maximum speed generates a 4 to 7 degree temperature change. Each degree change means building owners will see a savings of up to 3%. You can easily reduce your carbon footprint by installing an HVLS fan today.
Protect the Environment and Your Wallet with an HVLS Fan
People often overlook the simple things that can have a huge impact on the big picture, whether that’s on the environment or your business. Refresh Fans aims to enhance your business’ operations and bottom line while providing eco-friendly solutions. We all share a responsibility to the planet.
If you’re ready to install ceiling fans in your facility and enjoy energy savings, then contact us today and we’ll help turn your business into an energy-efficient one!
