Improving Your Facility with HVLS Fans

By: Mark D’Agostino, Contributor

When you think about ceiling fans, you likely think about a product that keeps you cool during warm weather. Creating a comfortable environment is the foundational benefit to HVLS (high-volume, low speed) fans, but there are many other perks to consider.

If you’re not familiar, HVLS fans are designed with longer blade lengths than conventional fans. These industrial ceiling fans have diameters that can range from 7-24ft and move large volumes of air with minimized energy consumption per square foot.

Indoor Air Quality

In 2020, many companies reevaluated their building’s health and safety measures, including airflow and air quality. Good air quality starts with proper air circulation, which can be achieved by installing industrial ceiling fans.

According to the EPA, indoor air quality refers to the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially related to the health and comfort of building occupants. The EPA notes that understanding and controlling common pollutants indoors can reduce your risk of indoor health concerns.

By consistently providing large-scale airflow, HVLS fans can help regulate temperature, prevent stagnant air, control moisture and promote a cleaner work environment. Frequently turning over the air can also eliminate toxic airborne chemicals at a much more rapid pace.

Reduced Energy Costs

Another reason to invest in an HVLS fan is the general cost-efficiency found in energy savings. For facilities that use HVAC systems, installing an HVLS fan can reduce your energy costs in the summer and winter months through air circulation and ventilation.

Relying solely on an HVAC system to cool your facility in the summer can be risky. If an HVAC system goes out in the summer heat, employees may be susceptible to fatigue or even worse, heat exhaustion.

As a ceiling fan, HVLS fans can circulate air throughout your facility, reducing the need to increase the work your HVAC unit is required to do.

Improved Workforce Productivity

By consistently providing large-scale airflow, HVLS fans can help regulate temperature, prevent stagnant air, control moisture and promote a cleaner work environment.

Temperature serves as a catalyst in worker productivity. Finding the most cost-effective way to maintain a temperate workplace climate is a sure way to boost your revenue.

A NASA study found that by reducing your effective temperature through air motion on the body to below 85°, productivity and accuracy increase between 18 and 40%. The volume at which an HVLS fan can move air consistently and slowly across the body is a cost-effective way to increase your workers’ productivity.

Additionally, an article published by the International Labor Organization projected that by 2030 more than 2% of total working hours will be lost each year worldwide — partially because of decreased productivity due to heat.

Companies with plans to measure and increase their productivity levels improve quality, reduce downtime and increase the efficiency of their facility overall.

Increased Safety

It is no secret that workplace safety is a crucial concern for all facilities. From food and beverage to distribution and warehousing, any uncontained spill can cause employee injury. Even small amounts of condensation can be a contributor to injuries such as slips and falls. Additionally, maintaining machinery safety through accelerated clean-up can reduce employee injuries.

With slips, trips and falls ranking as a top contributing factor to workplace injuries, just reducing the prospect of these accidents can affect your bottom line by avoiding any potential workers compensation claims or legal repercussions that an on-the-job injury could cause.

An HVLS fan is proven to reduce downtime due to injury when cleaning any spills that might occur. Because HVLS fans are designed to move larger volumes of air and lower speeds, they can deplete moisture at a higher rate.

Investing in HVLS Fans

Regardless of the industry, a building’s indoor air quality and temperature are critical factors influencing everything from the heating bill to an employee’s health. HVLS fans are viewed as a valuable, comprehensive solution to improve indoor air conditions and ultimately optimize a facility’s efficiency, comfort and savings––translating into bottom-line impact. WMHS

Mark D’Agostino is the Senior Vice President & General Manager of Hunter Industrial Fans. Based in Nashville, TN, Hunter Industrial is the industrial and commercial division of the 135-year-old Hunter Fan Company. The company’s designers, engineers and technicians work together to test, prototype and manufacture every fan for optimal performance (www.HunterFan.com/Industrial).