With summer hotting up, Australians will be working on keeping cool, and some of the “low tech” solutions are still good ones says leading Gold Coast electrician EJ Barnes of EJ Electrical Works.
With summer hotting up, Australians will be working on keeping cool, and some of the “low tech” solutions are still good ones says Gold Coast electrician EJ Barnes. What’s more, you might be interested in seeing how they’ve evolved - you might be in for a few surprises.
Barnes knows more about ceiling fans than most people do: as a Gold Coast Electrician, spring and summer callouts are often for the installation or maintenance of these standbys, and while you can go with basic and functional, you have far more options than you may have realised.
From Smart Fans to Dreamy Décor Features
The connected home trend hasn’t overlooked the possibilities it can explore with “smart” fans and several companies have come out with their versions of a high-tech ceiling fan. However, Barnes isn’t altogether convinced they’re worth getting.
He’s done a lot of work on connected homes too and doesn’t see the point in remotely controlling an appliance that only works to cool skin because it moves air around. “A ceiling fan doesn’t change the air temperature. It just makes you feel cooler. When you leave the room, you may as well switch it off to save energy.”
“The only real use I can think of for smart fans is to set them up so that they’ll be off during the hours you aren’t using rooms or when you’re at work, and a simple timer switch could do the same thing for a lower price.”
However, it’s the arty innovations on the theme that make Barnes enthusiastic. Sometimes, it’s special touches to the classic ceiling fan design - like using genuine wood blades - sometimes it’s a move towards a steampunk look, or it could be unexpected blade shapes. There are some really creative fan designs, but Barnes warns that functionality comes first.
“I like the idea of ceiling fans being an important décor feature, but the size of the fan, the strength of its motor, it’s ability to run silently, and its energy efficiency are all more important than looks.”
Ceiling Fan, Air Conditioning, or Both?
The way we use ceiling fans also needs a little rethinking, say Barnes. As an alternative to air conditioning, they will certainly save energy. They could still save you energy if you use them as a way to delay the decision to use air conditioning, but they probably won’t work to reduce energy consumption if you use both at the same time.
The theory is that people with ceiling fans will choose higher temperature thermostat settings when they turn on the AC, but a Florida researcher disproved that back in 1996 after checking thermostat settings against ceiling fan use and finding no significant differences.
“Fans are very effective for cooling if you position them well and if you choose the right fan for the space,” says Barnes. “There’s a specific formula for choosing the right size fan, and you also need to think about its power. After that, you can look at extras like those super-cool fan designs.”
EJ Electrical Works are Gold Coast electricians, tackling everything from big construction projects to minor home repairs for local householders. They can be reached via the EJ Electrical Works website or call 1300-DIAL-EJ, that’s 1300 342 535.
Written & Syndicated by Baxton Media.
