BUSINESS
For Big Ass Fans*, an Australian manufacturer of premium ceiling fans, covid-19 was an opportunity to come up with better airflow systems that combines smart design, lowered energy consumption and improved air quality. Through extensive testing, including partnering with industry-leading scientists in a military-grade test facility with verified third-party laboratory tests, the company created the Haiku ceiling fan.
The Haiku combines soundless operation, automatic sensors and smartphone app control options. Its three airfoils are engineered from aircraft-grade aluminium and designed to maximise airflow across the body of the fan. As a premium product, the fan uses high-grade, lightweight materials and is designed to ‘last a lifetime’.
Reflective of its name, the design of the Haiku is inspired by the ink lines of Japanese poetry and the natural form of a crane’s wings. Traditional ceiling fans separate the motor, the blades and the light fixtures into distinct components. The Haiku with UV-C (ultraviolet light) is designed to wrap all components and technology into the overall curvilinear design of the airfoils.
The Haiku is the first ceiling fan to incorporate sensors and microprocessors to monitor room conditions and, thus, is capable of learning user preferences. The company says its integrated inverter drive motor helps the fan exceed ENERGY STAR® efficiency requirements for residential ceiling fans by 450%.
By integrating all of these features with a UV-C uplight on top of the fan motor, air and airborne pathogens pass through an antimicrobial zone created by the UV-C light, which destroys pathogens and returns air below. Lab testing found the system killed 99.9% of viruses in the air in 20 minutes. The combination of airflow with air-purifying technology means the air in any occupied space is constantly being cleaned.
The company argues using UV-C helps improve the health, comfort, wellbeing and productivity of those who live or work in any given building. With better air quality in the workplace, it claims it helps reduce the rates of sick leave, mistakes, and risk of accidents due to reduced cognitive function when unwell.
For its efforts, Big Ass Fans won an award for Business Innovation in The Australian Business Awards 2021. The award recognises organisations that have “successfully implemented initiatives that demonstrate leadership and commitment to business innovation”. Big Ass Fans says it’s in the business of “transforming industrial, commercial and residential spaces with innovative airflow solutions” and is committed to finding new and better innovations to “make the world safer, healthier and more productive”.
| Read a review of the Haiku
Note: This is not a product endorsement and World Half Full has no relationship of any kind with Big Ass Fans.
* It might seem perhaps an unfortunate name for a business, though it is memorable. Perhaps that’s the idea! — Editor
TOP Haiku L fan in black
BOTTOM Powerfoil fan for industrial-scale settings
PHOTOS Big Ass Fans