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 the areas where you are sleeping or working, by using a portable air conditioner.

The one of most efficient portable air conditioner we seen is the Newair AC-12000E (pictured above). It has an EER of 14.4. An EER (Energy Efficiency Ratio) of 12 or above is considered very efficient. You can read a detailed explanation of EER ratings here. The Newair AC-12000E is available from Amazon for $389.95

The 7000 BTU Haier HPE07XC6 is one of the least expensive portable air conditioners available.

Reviewers say it does a fine job in very small rooms of about 150-square-feet or less. Since most of the condensed water removed from the air is expelled through the main exhaust hose, you don’t have to empty the water-collection cup too often. The only complaint about this AC unit is that it’s a bit loud, one buyer on Amazon says:

This air conditioner is excellent for the heat of living in the valley near Los Angeles. But it gets really loud, especially when changing over from cool to fan mode ( when it reaches the desired temperature). However, it is not much louder than the multiple fans I had to use before, so I would rate this as excellent.

This air conditioner has an EER of 8.2. It measures just 21″ x 17″ x 34″.

Available from Amazon for $353.

Related posts:

1. How To Stay Efficiently Cool This Summer Summertime is almost here, but hot weather doesn’t have...
2. Solar Powered Air Conditioner Released A company called GreenCore Air has released an air...
3. The First LEED Platinum Data Center ADC (Advanced Data Centers), a company based in San...

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 65 watts, and on a high setting it uses about 110 watts. They say “at 20 feet, Turbo-Aire delivers over 11,000 cubic feet of air per minute”.

The Turbo Aire is available from Amazon for $65. The fan’s homepage is here.

Related posts:

1. Portable Air Conditioners Electric fans are the most efficient cooling devices. Fans...
2. How To Stay Efficiently Cool This Summer Summertime is almost here, but hot weather doesn’t have...
3. The Best Toaster Ovens The Best Toaster Ovens What are the best toaster...

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 is used.

On the advantages of running under DC power, Fanworks says:

The average AC-powered ceiling fan draws between 0.5 and 1 amp. When an inverter is used to run the AC ceiling fan, you are pulling 5 to 10 amps DC to run the fan. This does not include the power consumed by the inverter to produce the AC power required by the ceiling fan.

The Vari-Cyclone, DC-powered ceiling fan, runs directly from your battery bank, no inverter required, and draws only 0.5 amp @ 12 VDC, making the Vari-Cyclone 10 times more energy efficient than an AC-powered ceiling fan.

Here are some stats:

Power Consumption: (with 3-blade configuration):
At 12 volt: 60 rpm, 7 watts, 2500 cfm.
At 24 volt: 120 rpm, 27 watts, 3400 cfm.

You can see a very in-depth analysis of the performance of these fans here.

Homepage: FanWorks

Available from: Survival Unlimited ($175-$195)

Related posts:

1. AC Propulsion Converts Cars To Electric Power Here’s a video from a company called AC Propulsion, showing...

Harman spent a lot of his life watching water flow, both as a diver and as a sailor, one of those principles fairly leaped out at him. Liquids flow in a consistent pattern, a three-dimensional centripetal spiral. “You pull the plug in a bathtub, and you get a whirlpool,” he explains. “The shape of that movement is common throughout everything, from the spiraling galaxies to the shape of your eyelash. And so what we did is reverse-engineer the whirlpool.”

Harman’s company, Pax Scientific, applied the spiraling geometric pattern of the whirlpool to the design of a domestic exhaust fan. What he calls the “Pax streamlining principle” also applies to industrial mixers, automotive cooling systems, water pumps, even devices for circulating blood in the body. His company now leases its technology to the producers of a wide variety of industrial, commercial, and residential applications. His team of engineers is working on methods for applying spiraling geometry to wind turbines, aircraft fuselages, and marine propellers.

Increasing the efficiency of everyday technology is a huge boon for the environment, Harman points out. “If you use three-quarters less energy, then you have three-quarters less pollutants going into the atmosphere.” He hopes that designs like his are also changing the way the world looks at nature. “Nature has already solved every problem humans face and have ever faced,” he says. “If you see nature as our university, you’re not going to burn down the university; you’re going to protect it.”

Via Sierra Magazine

Related posts:

1. MetaEfficient Vacation MetaEfficient is on vacation. This week, I’ve managed to...

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 stores easily. It weights under five pounds.

Power Consumption:
Low: 1.18 Amps
Medium: 1.62 Amps
High: 2.58 Amps

Available from: Amazon ($60)
or Pplmotorhomes.com ($62.95)

Related posts:

1. Portable Air Conditioners Electric fans are the most efficient cooling devices. Fans...
2. The PowerGorilla: Flexible Portable Power I’ve been testing a device that just been introduced...