| General > General Technical Chat |
| US Ceiling Fan Efficiency Rule Proposal |
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| bdunham7:
--- Quote from: ejeffrey on September 03, 2023, 04:46:40 am ---Depends on how much you use it, but if you use it 24/7 for 6 months a year, the BLDC fan could save you $50+ / year at average US electricity prices. Also, the cost difference is that much any more. A few years ago, BLDC fans were mostly the domain of expensive "designer" brands. And it still kind of is, but you can also get $150 BLDC fans from home depot. At that point I'm not sure why you would want to buy a $120 fan with an AC induction motor. --- End quote --- That would be an extreme use case--we use them quite a bit, but not that much and usually at low speeds. I've never measured the power usage. If the price drops enough to make them attractive, then I suppose we don't need legislation. I didn't realize they were competitive now and at those prices, if they are quiet, reliable and have built-in speed control then that's what I'd probably buy...someday. I did buy a fairly expensive BLDC attic exhaust fan, but there I did measure the energy used (it was a lot and all during peak times) and it made sense. The increase performance and near total silence are just bonuses. |
| Zero999:
Lower speeds generally correlate with less noise and higher efficiency. It's better to have a larger fan, moving the same amount of air per second, at a lower velocity, than a tiny fan, spinning much more quickly. Unfortunately a larger fans is much more expensive to make, compared to a smaller one. |
| Jeroen3:
--- Quote from: Zero999 on September 03, 2023, 10:16:06 am ---Whilst I'm all for greater energy efficiency, it does seem a little silly given the energy savings will be miniscule. I think they should try better labelling first. I'm sure many people would buy a more expensive fan if it's cheaper to run and quieter. --- End quote --- Miniscule times 193 million (2007 data) is still a lot. Sometimes if the devices stop innovating you have to force them a bit. You'd be amazed how little energy a fan can use with one of those low voltage dc phase motors. I have a big Duux fan that can run on a battery. Any equivalent ac shaded pole would humm, get hot and use >20W. |
| Zero999:
--- Quote from: Jeroen3 on September 03, 2023, 07:16:10 pm --- --- Quote from: Zero999 on September 03, 2023, 10:16:06 am ---Whilst I'm all for greater energy efficiency, it does seem a little silly given the energy savings will be miniscule. I think they should try better labelling first. I'm sure many people would buy a more expensive fan if it's cheaper to run and quieter. --- End quote --- Miniscule times 193 million (2007 data) is still a lot. Sometimes if the devices stop innovating you have to force them a bit. --- End quote --- True, but in the US, there are far greater energy wasters than ceiling fans. Heck, they've only just banned incandescent lamps for general purpose lighting and their cars guzzle far more fuel than those in Europe do. I'm not bashing the US by any means. It just seems like a silly to do, when it's much easier to gain far greater energy savings. |
| jpanhalt:
Sorry to be late to the party. Everyone who writes those regulations lives and works in air conditioned splendor. Per day of operation, I find it hard to believe that an air conditioner uses less energy than a ceiling fan or more likely an attic fan in our South with an alternating current single speed motor. I have lived for extended periods in Memphis, TN, Baltimore, MD, St. Louis, MO, and LA, CA without air conditioning. The home I grew up in did not have AC. Even in the 1970's, after my parents retired, their home had AC, but it wasn't run. That home in LA was Spanish architecture with a tile roof. AC was not needed. In St. Louis and Memphis, we had attic fans. It was perfectly comfortable. My current home does not have AC, and as I write this, it is one of the hottest days of the year in Cleveland, OH. I have a small fan. Summer is for fun and warmth. It would be great if American politicians could enjoy that instead on focusing on making everyone else miserable. Show me a PWM'd DC fan that does not make noise. |
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