If your workforce can't feel the warm air, you are wasting resources. Facility environment expert, Jim Stahl, says your warehouse could be losing up to 70% of its heat through the roof with little change in comfort at ground level. To address this issue of heat, loss Jim Stahl advises how, through the use of High Volume, Low Speed (HVLS), fans you can strategically address heating your facility to increase employee comfort and reduce your heating investment.
Save Money by Heating More Efficiently
The fundamental issue for heating large open facilities is that heat rises. In large spaces with high ceilings, the heat will quickly move to a roof where it has no real or perceived value. As Stahl observed,
"You're not trying to heat the ceiling. You're trying to create comfort down at the human level."
Picture the air mass as layers stacked horizontally and vertically in increments corresponding to temperature degrees, 0.5° per foot. This layering presents a threat to comfort and a challenge to efficient management.
HVLS fans easily address the issue of heat layers through their ability to de-stratify and redistribute this altered air. Rather than forcing in heat that will be trapped in the rafters, HVLS fans thermally equalize the air and break up the heat layers. This simple act of mixing the air efficiently balances the floor to ceiling differential and increases comfort at ground level.
Save Money by Reducing Heat Loss
Heat is lost through the roof. It rises naturally to the roof where the temperature warms the exterior. Whatever heat is up there at the ceiling is not doing your facility or occupants any good.
The fundamental principle that drives the success of HVLS fans is the principle of distributing heat more efficiently by running in reverse. Stahl advises that,
"While running in reverse, our HVLS fans redistribute the air overhead, and mix (de-stratify) the air to eliminate the hot and cold spots."
Produce Measureable Savings
Comfort in a large facility means managing the volume. HVLS fans are designed to do just that. Despite their low speed, they will push a column of air firmly to the floor. At the floor, the air will jet to the walls with force that, along with the temperature, will raise the air to the ceiling again. This effectively de-stratifies the air, mixing it and blending it so that the "new" air is fresher and reconfigured molecularly. Stahl notes that the largest fans will move 346,000 cubic feet of air per minute.
"This effectively reduces the gradient from top to bottom which is the biggest point of how facilities managers reduce their heating bill."
There are measurable savings in the energy used to run HVLS fans at their low speed. There are savings to be had by integrating your HVLS fan operation with your HVAC operations. Facility managers are not only saving on their energy bill, but also have a happier workforce who is more comfortable and consequently more productive.
Summary
HVLS fans yield, at minimum, 20% savings on heating costs. Using HVLS fans efficiently mixes the air in your facility to increase the comfort at ground level where you workforce is and reduces heat loss through the roof. This simple, yet highly efficient, solution makes HVLS fans a year round climate control solution for facilities around the world.
Subject matter expert, Jim Stahl, is well versed in HVAC and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business and Technology Management with an emphasis in Applied Science, specifically in HVAC/R Technologies. Jim is the Applications Manager for MacroAir fans, before which he was a Regional Sales Manager. Prior to his role with MacroAir Fans Jim was the Regional Manager of Technical Services for Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. While at Wal-Mart, Stahl was responsible for the HVAC, refrigeration and energy management activities for Northeastern stores.
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