A fan is an eco-friendly way to cool a room
Last night, as we
blogged earlier, we toured the
Venice Beach Eco Cottages which are not only beautiful but sustainably designed. One item we were drawn to in each cottage were the fans in the bedrooms. Ceiling fans are more than just a romantic and sexy way to move the steamy air in your bedroom around. In the summer they can pull the warmer air up and, in the winter, push it down. Even if you already have a heating and cooling system, they can maximize its effectiveness. But, if like in these cottages, your ceiling has rafters, beams or other unique architectural features, or, if your ceiling's space is small (a narrow kitchen or bathroom perhaps) a flat revolving ceiling fan may not be
ideal.
The Old Havana Fan by Fanimation was the solution posed by the problem of the rafters in the Venice Eco Beach Cottages. Not only can they by mounted so that their blades will not connect with an existing element (like the rafters here) but their fan's head can be angled to take advantage of variations in the directions of natural breezes and window placement.
RELATED LINKS:
- The Artemis Ceiling Fan. This is a beautiful flat spinning option.
- Vent Bettina Fan. For a large room with two distinct areas that need cooling. Tender Greens, a restaurant in Culver City, uses a similar style on their outdoor patio.
- Roundup: Best Modern Electric Fans. If you can't mount a ceiling fan, if you don't subscribe to the "moves air up and down" ceiling fan theory, or you just want additional cooling, this is a roundup of some great table options.
[Opening Photo: Eric Staudenmaier via Venice Beach Eco Cottages]
I LOVE this idea over the typical ugly and bulky old ceiling fan!
view bobthefish's profile
its kindof an eye sore in that beautiful room. We have ceiling fans throughout the house but the bathroom.
view witchbaby's profile
These answer some of the questions I had.
# Reverse Function: No
# Inludes Light Kit: No
# Lights are Optional: No
# Accepts Universal Light Kits: No
# Energy Star Qualified: No
# Flushmount Capability: Cannot be flush mounted
That model is also only available in rust or black, and positioned vertically, will be 31" from the ceiling. Positioning it absolutely horizontally will give you back 4". Over a bed or dining table, not such a big deal, but anywhere else, you need quite high ceilings and be short and have short friends. I thought it was kind of an eyesore in the room as well. In the end it doesn't seem like the alternative to traditional ceiling fans that it's trying to be. Answer to a question about the only other similar fan (avail. in satin nickel - a smarter choice for this space, pewter, and oil-rubbed bronze): "You can tilt the fan, but it does not rotate or osscillate when it is on. It will stay positioned where you set it." That one only cools to a 4 (5 is best, the fan featured in the article is a 5).
view K T G's profile
What a pretty room!
We have a fan in our bedroom and it's a life saver in the winter. It may not be the prettiest thing, but sometimes function trumps form. :)
view AimeeRoo's profile
I hate ceiling fans, and the bf has been petitioning for one- maybe this could be an option we can agree on!
view quietcal's profile
On a really hot day all fans do id recirculate the hot air.
view Snugglitas's profile
Does anyone know what is costs to operate a ceiling fan? The one thing about http://houston1apartments.com/loftapartments.php is that they do not have ceiling fans. And ceiling fans normally only cool small rooms. Since I live in Houston we are still hot in the winter.
view Apartment High Rise's profile
To answer your question about the cost of running a ceiling fan, I read this at www.modernfan.com:
Modern Fans draw between .6 amps and 1.0 amp on high speed, about the same as a 100-watt bulb, and approximately .4 amps on medium and .25 amps on low. Modern Fans cost just pennies a day to run and because of their efficient way of circulating air, they allow users to reset their thermostat to cut down on cooling and heating costs, and still remain comfortable.
In hot weather, you can save up to 3% on cooling costs for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees, according to the California Energy Commission.
Modern Fans can save up to 10% on heating costs by reclaiming warm air trapped at the ceiling. The opportunity for savings increases in commercial environments with high, open ceiling construction. The stratified air close to the ceiling can be 15 degrees warmer than the air at ground level.
Also:
Most Modern Fans are available with a choice of standard incandescent or energy-saving compact fluorescent lamping. Our CFLs provide 75% energy savings and lamp life up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. While dependable for well-balanced, warm light, keep in mind our CFLs are not dimmable.
view BonnieBlue's profile