From the category archives:

Fans

Portable Air Conditioners

July 2, 2008

Electric fans are the most efficient cooling devices. Fans use far less power than air conditioners (see our recent review of the most efficient portable fan). But in hot and humid weather, air conditioning is a great relief. Cooling an entire house uses a lot of energy — it’s much more efficient to only cool [...]

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Very Efficient Portable Fan: The Seabreeze Turbo Aire

June 13, 2008

This portable fan, the Seabreeze Turbo Aire, has an aerodynamic design inspired by a jet engine. It produces a high velocity airstream through an optimized blade shape and orientation. The manufacturer claims it moves three times as much air as a comparable fan, while operating quietly. On a low setting, the Turbo Aire consumes just [...]

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Very Efficient: Vari-Cyclone Ceiling Fans

July 10, 2006

These “Vari-Cyclone” ceiling fans from FanWorks are perhaps the most efficient ceiling fans available. The fans utilize what Fanworks calls “Gossamer Wind” blade design technology, which is said to deliver 40% more air flow without any increase in power use. They also run on DC power, which also adds to their efficiency when off-grid power [...]

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PaxFan: An Innovative Spiral Form

June 22, 2005

A fine example of biomimicry, the PaxFan is an innovative, spiral fan created by Jay Harman, an Australian inventor. His domestic exhaust fan is half as noisy and three-quarters more efficient than the average fan. Sierra Magazine reports:
Harman spent a lot of his life watching water flow, both as a diver and as a sailor, [...]

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Endless Breeze Fan (12V)

July 28, 2004

These Endless Breeze fans are powerful,
portable, high volume 12 volt fans with a twelve inch blade that operates
at three speeds. Air movement of up to 1000 CMF (cubic feet per minute)
is a major breakthrough in 12 volt portable fans. Standing
only fourteen inches high on retractable legs and less than three inches
thick it travels and [...]

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