FansAre there really different kinds of fans? Fans came come in two basic forms: spot fans, and general area fans. Spot fans are the ones most of us are familiar with--they come on, oscillate, blow a breeze across us, and we cool down. General area fans (like whole house, or attic fans) move large volumes of air throughout a building.
What are the benefits? Fans are easy to use, easy to understand, work quickly, and can individually operated to create different comfort zones in different spaces. Often overlooked in the quest for “sexy” technology, fans are one of the most simple and efficient ways to increase the comfort level of a building.
Why the fuss about fans? Fans don't take much explaining; most people have used them, and those that haven't quickly understand what they do and how they work. While much emphasis is put on the “Wow!” technologies, fans are an everyday demonstration of effective simplicity. They are efficient because, like a heat pump, they don't create heat, they just move it around.
Fans and solar panels? Even in the simplest of technologies we can find neat examples of “whole system” thinking. Instead of a massive air conditioner gobbling electricity and polluting the environment, an attic fan can be hooked up to a small solar panel. The brighter the sun shines the faster the fan spins the more air is moved, making a building respond to natural stimulus, simply. This application of high and low technology is an excellent example of intelligent green building.
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