Summer Cooling

When it’s hot as crap outside and the heat makes its way indoors, you have two options to combat reduced productivity and potential heat stress: crank up the A/C (and watch your energy use skyrocket) or get creative. Whether you have A/C or not, air movement from Big Ass Fans improves your body’s natural cooling mechanisms, keeping you happy, safe and productive. Plus Big Ass Fans can save massive amounts of energy by supplementing A/C or replacing dozens of high-speed floor fans. Here’s how it works.

Stay Cool. Increase Productivity and Safety.

The Fonz was extremely productive. Know why? He stayed cool. (Ayyyyyy.) The hotter it gets, the less productive you are – studies show productivity begins to decrease by about 1 percent for every degree the temperature rises above 77°F (25° C). *Besides being bad for the bottom line, heat stress can take a heavy human toll. Symptoms of heat stress range from rash and dizziness to fainting and death. In 2006 alone, there were 3,100 reports of heat illness so serious it resulted in days away from work, according to the U.S. Office of Compliance. The same year, 44 heat-related occupational fatalities were reported. That’s why maintaining thermal comfort in these conditions is important. Nothing improves thermal comfort better than air movement. While air movement does not lower the actual temperature, it creates a wind-chill effect as the breeze passes over our skin that can make us feel up to 10°F (6°C) cooler. Think about how good it feels when you’re working outside, all hot and sweaty, and a breeze rolls in. Big Ass Fans are like that, but all the time.

* Seppänen, O., Fisk, W. J. and Lei, Q. H. 2006.

CASE STUDY: Read how Samuel Jackson Inc. increased productivity using Big Ass Fans.

Improve AC Efficiency

Fans improve the efficiency and effectiveness of air conditioning in several ways. For starters, generating a few degrees of cooling from an energy-efficient fan will allow you to raise your thermostat set point a few degrees and stay just as comfortable. For every degree you raise your thermostat, you can save 3 to 6 percent on cooling costs. Additionally, the temperature isn’t the same everywhere in any building – it’s colder by the vent, it’s hotter by a large window, and so forth. Fans mix the air creating complete uniformity, allowing the thermostat to read the actual temperature in the space, not just the temperature by the thermostat.

Speaking of thermostats, in commercial spaces, no temperature is ideal for everyone, requiring facility managers to set strict rules about adjusting the thermostat, or locking it out altogether. With Big Ass Fans, employees can adjust the speed of the fan without creating a huge energy suck.

CASE STUDY: Read how Local Taco raised their setpoint and saved thousands per year.