This tradition continues next Monday, Sept. 18, with the 5^th annual National Ceiling Fan Day. NCFD has become a collective effort to power down cooling systems and rely on fans to potentially save trillions of kilowatt hours of energy consumption. Together with the American Lighting Association (ALA), energy conservation groups such as the EPA’s Energy Star Program and thousands of retail partners, we’ll mark the day with fan education, a challenge to conserve energy and—as a bonus—a retail discount on our products.

First, here’s why you should care about NCFD:

With advancement in technology, today’s ceiling fans are capable of even greater energy conservation than their predecessors. Many of today’s fans feature energy-efficient DC motors, which consume as much as 70% less energy than their non-DC motor counterparts. Plus, several have earned the coveted ENERGY STAR rating, proving they are among the elite in energy conservation technology.

Ceiling fans are recommended either in place of or in addition to HVAC or air conditioning units as they require much less energy to operate. It is estimated that the average ceiling fan consumes 30 watts of electricity, whereas an air conditioning unit can use up to 5,000 watts.

Saving energy equals saving money! Ceiling fans can help significantly reduce electric bills. Running an air conditioner for a month can cost up to one hundred times more than it costs to run a ceiling fan. Running a ceiling fan for a month may cost as little as $1, but an air conditioner can cost upwards of $100 to run for the same period of time.

Now, the challenge: 

If every American participates in NCFD by turning off their AC and using fans for their cooling needs, the United States will save enough energy to power the entire city of New York for months. So, help us reduce energy consumption by turning off your central cooling systems and staying cool with ceiling, floor, desk and wall fans to save trillions of kilowatt hours of energy consumption.

Icing on the cake:

As an extra incentive to participate in the energy-saving effort, many fan retailers are offering discounts to consumers in conjunction with NCFD. At Fanimation, we are offering 20% off our retail prices on all products between Sept. 15-19. The discount is valid at our participating lighting and fan showrooms or online retailers.

Join us this National Ceiling Fan Day! Cool down, save money (and energy) and eat your cake, too.

 And that’s exactly what Fanimation’s fanSync delivers.

 fanSync allows you to pair your phone to your ceiling fan, using Bluetooth technology so that you can control fan speed and lighting.

 This innovative app and fanSync transceiver puts the power of your ceiling fan at your fingertips and gives you the freedom to turn your ceiling fan on or off, adjust  the speed and manage the lights. That’s control. All with the swipe of a finger. That’s convenience.

 Download fanSync for free on most Apple and Android smart devices. It works with just about any three-speed fan because it is not brand specific. (And it’s standard on several Fanimation fans, including Spitfire, Subtle and Stellar, among others!) Even more, fanSync can also be augmented with a companion remote control and wall plate. From an installation standpoint, it’s easy—simply purchase and install a Bluetooth receiver in your ceiling fan and pair it with the fanSync app. You can program multiple smartphones to operate one fan, or one smartphone to operate multiple fans. There is no limitation—giving you even more control and convenience!

Bluetooth was the natural technology choice for our fan customers because it requires low power and provides wireless connectivity to a wide range of electronics and products. It’s known for its lack of interference with other wireless platforms, namely Wi-Fi and Z-wave. And, as most of us with hand-free devices know, pairing of Bluetooth devices is simple. As long as the devices are within 30 feet, they have the capability of acknowledging each other and having quick connections. Lastly, Bluetooth is affordable.

At Fanimation, we’re driven by design—whether it’s the look of our fans or how they function. And fanSync is one of those innovative design features that allows our customers to have seamless convenience and total control—on top of quality, timeless beauty and ambiance.

Odyn Ceiling Fan
Odyn began making a big name for itself when it was first introduced in 2014 and is an obvious choice for lovers of large contemporary ceiling fans. Odyn boasts a massive 84” blade sweep, allowing it to move a significant amount of air while still operating efficiently at a high CFM. But its Odyn’s carefully thought out characteristics that have us (and customers) loving this design. It features an energy efficient DC motor (consumes up to 70% less energy), includes 6 different speeds (both forward and reverse for year-round use), is Energy Star Qualified and is offered in several color options like brushed nickel, dark bronze and an elegant matte white. Plus, Odyn carries a wet UL rating, so you can install and leave it outside all year if you want.

Subtle Ceiling Fan

Define irony. The Subtle Ceiling Fan by Fanimation is noticeably tremendous in its size and functionality, making it hardly a subtle element of any space. It sweeps air around the room with an extensive 72” blade span and five fan blades. It’s also Energy Star Qualified, employing a DC motor and operating at 230 CFM per watt. Subtle even allows you to properly illuminate rooms by including a long-lasting and energy efficient LED downlight. Available in brushed nickel or dark bronze and made for indoors or out (it carries a damp UL rating), Subtle is guaranteed to make an eye-catching statement.

Big Island Ceiling Fan

Introduce paradisiacal decoration to your home with the Big Island Ceiling Fan. The Big Island combines tropical features with a larger than life DC motor to keep spaces cool while still being energy efficient and operating at a 318 CFM per watt. It’s offered in colossal blade spans ranging from 60” to 80” and includes 6 forward and reverse speeds, allowing for year-round use. The Big Island is available in antique brass, brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze finishes, with the brushed nickel and oil-rubbed bronze options being UL listed for damp location use.

Levon Ceiling Fan

Levon is yet another design that brings a lot of personality and sophisticated style to ceilings of living rooms, great rooms and covered outdoor living areas. The AC model of Levon features eight blades crafted from walnut with a blade sweep of 63” and operates at a 6942 CFM.  The energy efficient DC motor operated model of Levon includes eight sleek metallic blades, an LED light kit and can reach a 7999 CFM.  It also carries a damp UL rating, making it safe for outdoor use in locations that are occasionally exposed to water.  Finally, if you want to mix and match components or need a blade span of 72”, Fanimation makes Levon available in a customized option to best accommodate your needs.

Additional Resources

For tips on how to find the perfect fan for your home, look to the Lumens Fan Buyer’s Guide. You’ll find information about choosing the right ceiling fan size, using fans year-round, fan installation and mounting options, how to appropriately understand airflow efficiency, why an outdoor fan is a good choice and much more.

By Jeff Romero of Lumens.com

In order for a ceiling fan to earn the ENERGY STAR label, it must meet the minimum airflow and efficiency requirements as set out by the EPA. This means that on different speeds, the fan must generate a certain amount of airflow, expressed in cubic feet per minute. It also has to achieve certain efficiencies, meaning that it must generate a certain amount of airflow per watt expended by the fan.

Another requirement for qualification is related to the way the fan is controlled. The fan must allow convenient control by the user by means of a wall switch, remote control, or pull chain. The user must be able to easily control the speed of the fan, the direction of the fan and airflow, as well as any lights the fan may accommodate.

Speaking of lights, if the fan comes with a light kit, the lights must abide by the ENERGY STAR specification for luminaires in order for the whole piece to receive the ENERGY STAR label.

Lastly, the product must come with certain warranties. The motor must come with at least a 30 year warranty and all other components must come with a warranty of one year or more. Light kit warranties are discussed in the ENERGY STAR Luminaires specification.

It is estimated by the EPA that up to 50 percent of the energy used in homes goes to heating and cooling systems. Because of that, it’s important to cut down on energy use for those systems every chance we get. If you won’t do it for the environment, at least do it for your wallet. After all “over their lifetime, products in your home that have earned the ENERGY STAR label can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 13,000 pounds and save you $11,000 on energy bills,” (EPA.gov).

To learn more about the ENERGY STAR label and its product requirements, go to www.energystar.gov. Looking for an ENERGY STAR labeled fan? Look no further https://creativeinksandbox.com/products/energy_star. New ENERGY STAR certified fans will be available in 2015 including the Ascension, the Xeno, the Levon DC, the Spitfire, and the Odyn.

Ceiling fans and standing fans are a great resource when it comes to staying cool in this weather, but how exactly can you use them in order to take advantage of all they have to offer?

First, make sure your ceiling fans are turning in the right direction. It may not seem like a big deal, but unless that fan is turning counter clockwise, it’s going to have the opposite effect and your house will actually feel warmer. Trust me, you won’t need any extra help heating your house this summer.

By using ceiling fans throughout the home, you can set your air conditioning to stay a few degrees warmer without actually feeling a change in temperature. This should leave you a little extra money in your pocket or maybe you can put it towards that family vacation you’ve always wanted to take.

Depending on just how extravagant that vacation you’re planning is, you may need to save even more money on your energy bill. Well it’s as simple as this. Turn off your fan when you leave the room. There’s no point in creating a breeze when there’s no one there to feel it. Would you play music in an empty room? No, you’d turn it off. Do the same with your fans.

Lastly, it’s important to keep heat out in the first place. That means, if your air conditioning is on, close your doors and windows. If your air conditioning isn’t on, feel free to keep those windows open, the breeze from outside will have a similar effect as the ceiling fan and will make your house feel cooler than it is. If it’s a sunny summer day, like many are, keep any curtains or blinds you have shut to keep the sun out. The more sunlight you let in, the faster your house will heat up and the harder your fans and air conditioning will have to work to keep you and the kids cool.

Remember, summer should be fun and relaxing. Don’t spend your summer stressing about your energy bill or standing by an open freezer just to keep cool. Let us know how you and your family plan to stay cool this summer, or try these out and tell us how they work for you.

I guess it was destiny that I would end up a trouble maker.  At first, I would just do small stick ups here and there, you know, so I could get by and feed my family.  A few years ago I started robbing banks.  I was great at it!  I went coast to coast wearing different disguises. I thought they were working, but my face ended up on the FBI Most Wanted list.

On my last job I felt like something was up; apparently the feds were on my tail the whole time. I got involved in a shoot-out—luckily no one got seriously hurt.  I took a hit to the arm, but it actually turned out to be a pretty cool scar.  The feds got me and I’m finally set to be released in late May or June.  They keep saying that they know about my offshore accounts that I set up with the money I stole—I swear I spent it all on my damn attorney.

Anyway, I’m going to come out a changed man so I can be there for my family.  Here is a list of who I’ve become:

• Brushed nickel with brushed nickel blades,
• Six forward and reverse speeds (been hitting the weights),
• 18 watt LED bulb: Lumens: 1,300, color temp: 3,000, and CRI 80,
• 63” blades, and
• I come damp rated.

Stay tuned as I’m going to make even more changes when I come out in a few months.  This feels like a new start; I can’t wait to show all of my old friends and family how much I’ve changed.  Dad, if you’re reading this, I’m going to make you proud!

I learned everything I know about cooking from my dad, he’s the real master chef in our family. I just happened to have the cooking shows and restaurants.  Will I share one of my cooking secrets with the readers? I suppose that’s why I’m being interviewed, right?  Always have great music playing in the background, clean as you go and remember that pasta should always be served al dente!

• I’m available in Oil-rubbed bronze with walnut blades and brushed nickel with nickel blades

• I have a 54″ blade sweep with a 14 degree blade pitch

• I operate on 3 forward and 3 reverse speed with a reversing switch located on switch cup housing

• I include one 14-watt LED and a TR24WH non-reversing remote

• I’m dry and damp location rated

Over the years, we began to understand that my super power was making rooms more energy efficient.  As soon as we identified how my super power worked, I knew my purpose in life was to fight the energy monsters that terrorize families with high energy bills and threaten the world with depleted energy sources. I’m only revealing this to you because I think it’s time that people know who I really am.  I’m also getting pretty sick of screeching security systems and barking Dobermans every time I fly through the window to save the day! In addition to flying around in a cape saving the world, I consider these my most distinguishing attributes:

• Available in brushed nickel assembly with opal frosted glass and black blades
• Also available in oil-rubbed bronze assembly with opal frosted glass and walnut blades
• 84″ blade sweep
• 6 forward and 6 reverse speeds
• TR39 handheld remote control included
• Matching cap included for use without light 
• One 14-watt LED included

As a society, we’ve grown dependent on air conditioners.  We use them in our cars and rely on them at home. That’s not to say air conditioners should never be used. However, we should educate consumers about the energy and cost saving benefits of using fans in conjunction with central air. The purpose of NCFD is to bring national attention to escalating energy costs and consumption and propose the use of ceiling fans as a way to decrease our reliance on central heating and cooling devices. If every American participated in NCFD by turning off their air conditioning and using fans for their cooling needs, the United States would save over three trillion kilowatt hours of energy consumption. That is enough energy to power the entire city of New York for months.

Fanimation is hosting an Awareness Party to promote the Day on August 17, 2013.  The party is a free event held at Fanimation’s headquarters and is open to the public. Fanimation has organized fun activities for all ages. There will be live music, prizes, vintage cars and bicycles on display, free food catered by Dashboard Diner, a caricaturist and a Kids Zone with bicycle helmet fittings, energy awareness activities and face painting. Attendees are also welcome to tour Fanimation’s antique fan museum located on site. The party will be held from 11:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at 10983 Bennett Pkwy Zionsville, IN 46077.

T5 fluorescent lights are more environmentally friendly than metal halide lights because they use significantly less energy to operate.  A comparison done by the Performance Consulting Group, LLC showed that a single-lamp metal halide fixture drew 455 watts to operate while a four-lamp T5 fixture drew only 235 watts to operate.  (Metal Halide vs. T5 Fluorescent Fixture Comparison; http://www.rapidpower.net/userfiles/file/T5vsMH.pdf.)

The T5 fluorescent lights come with numerous energy and cost saving benefits, such as instant start, low profile, extended light output, better quality and more evenly distributed lighting and cost savings.  We estimate that our  decision to install T5 lighting will result in a 55-60% energy reduction in our warehouse over the course of the next year.

Although our team at Fanimation has always been on the cutting edge of environmentally safe technology, as evidenced by our numerous Energy Star rated fans, we are also committed to making our corporate headquarters as environmentally friendly as possible.  The use of energy saving lights in our warehouse is just one more example of our tireless efforts to reduce our carbon footprint.