Summer will be upon us before we know it, so now is the time to consider the best ways to beat the heat. With a few smart preparations and minimal costs, you can give your AC a much needed break during the cooling season. More and more businesses are starting to realize the value of generating their own wind-chill factor in our increasingly green-minded communities. You might be surprised how much you’ll learn about how fans can save you money on your business electricity costs. We could even say these tips will blow you away!
All puns aside, the fundamental rule is that placing the proper fans in strategic places around your facility can go a long way toward making a cooler environment without using the air conditioner. That means saving energy because fans draw so much less electricity than your AC, even small window-mounted units.
Fans work in a couple of ways. Most obviously, they create a breeze that promotes the body’s own evaporative cooling mechanism. It’s the summertime version of winter’s wind-chill factor. A fan can also be used to draw cool outside air in and exhaust hot indoor air by placing fans in windows, vents or other openings. Timing is crucial – you have to pay attention to the temperature and the relative humidity of the air inside and outside of the room. This exchange of air works only when the outside air feels more comfortable than the air inside.
According to the Florida Solar Energy Center, the cooling effect of one ceiling fan can cut energy use by up to 14 percent, but only if you remember to cut the AC when turning on the fans. Otherwise, you’re operating your AC unnecessarily at an additional expense. Take advantage of the breezy benefits and choose the best fan for your business or workplace.
Freestanding Fans
A small, portable interior fan is especially efficient because it can be moved to any ‘warm’ spot in the office, typically where large windows draw and trap direct sunlight. It can also be used to ‘help’ the AC distribute cool air more efficiently, thereby reducing the effort required by the AC unit itself.
Window Fans
Window fans are inexpensive, easy to install and cheap to run. A twin-fan model takes better advantage of a limited window opening. You can use them to supplement cooling breezes in largely outdoor environments such as workshops and warehouses. If the layout of your building or facility has two stories, try having fans blowing inward on the ground floor while those on the floor above are blowing outward. This boosts the ‘chimney effect’ by which warm air rises and vents naturally.
Full-Size Permanent Fans
In the summer, these larger fans can do the work of an air-conditioner for about one-tenth of the electricity. To take advantage of cooler air outside, these fans are often thermostatically programmable to turn on when cool air is naturally available, and turn off when hot air is more abundant. These fans are often installed in attics and ceilings of larger rooms and have louvers that automatically close to seal in cooler air.
Ceiling Fans
A ceiling fan can be a quiet, cooling presence in the warm summer days. With its gentle breeze, you may find that you can nudge the AC up by about 4 or 5 degrees. That means if you’re using air conditioning along with your fan, you can set the thermostat at a higher-than-normal temperature to save electricity.
The average ceiling fan uses about as much electricity as a 100-watt light bulb, so you can run one for just pennies a day. Most ceiling fans can be switched to operate in reverse as well. The idea here is that the fan will draw warm air toward the ceiling and circulate it back down to the common areas in the room. When installing the fans, try to place them as close as possible to seating areas or in spots where people tend to be working or congregating the most.
When purchasing ceiling fans, consider buying the largest ones possible. This way you can run them at lower speeds, minimizing noise and energy consumption. Also, be aware that the costlier models may tend to operate more quietly, but always check the noise level in terms of “sones”. A rating of 1.5 sones is quiet enough, but try to find models as low as 1.0 or .5 sones. Finally, try to shoot for fans that weigh less than 35 pounds, otherwise you may need additional supports and installation work which will add to the overall cost.
Your choices in fans will largely depend on your business’ facility, but the fact holds true that, regardless of size, layout or design, you can save money on your business electricity costs by using fans if you otherwise typically run air conditioning during the cooling season. We’ve almost concluded our article, and nearly without any fan-related puns. So see what a ‘breeze’ it is to save energy this summer, don’t ‘blow’ all your money on air conditioning and you’ll get a nice ‘wind’ fall on your next electricity bill.