FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS


Who is AirMotion Sciences?


AirMotion Sciences, Inc. is a Massachusetts, USA based technology company involved in the design and production of High Volume - Low Speeds (HVLS) fans for large industrial, agricultural, commercial, and other high ceiling spaces to help enhance productivity and operational efficiency by improving the facility environment (through cooling, heat destratification, supplementing air conditioning, and ventilation) in all seasons and climates while reducing HVAC energy costs significantly.

The company was founded by Peter D. Caruso (former CEO and President of MacroAir Technologies), with the objective to 'build a better mousetrap' by significantly improving upon existing HVLS technology. Mr. Caruso’s experience in the HVLS fan industry was crucial in assembling an expert engineering team for the company. As a family-run business he has always ensured product quality and customer service are at the core of the company’s development efforts and day to day operations. The innovation that he and his experienced team have made in HVLS technology are a testament to AirMotion's efforts as their Big Smart Fans™ have raised the bar in the big fan industry by significantly advancing the technology to the next generation of HVLS fans.


What is AirMotion HVLS (High Volume Low Speed) technology?


Energy efficiency is fundamental to the design of AirMotion Big Smart Fans because of the fact that the power required to drive a fan varies approximately with the cube of the average air speed through the fan – i.e. doubling the air speed requires eight times the power. Accordingly, a fan delivering air at 20 mph requires 64 times as much power as one delivering air at 5 mph. Moving more air with larger blades rather than larger motors is the key differentiation from other air movers.

With their large diameters, these fans create large flows of air that have proportionally less area of periphery and therefore encounter less friction and related drag. This allows the air column to move further using less energy and effort than smaller fans (a 36” fan has 6 ½ times the 'friction interface' per cubic foot of air moved as a 20 ft AirMotion Big Smart Fan). As inertia is overcome, the momentum of the flowing air mass allows for air circulation to require little ongoing effort - and energy - to maintain.

Add the highly efficient and effective blade shapes our engineers have designed to help create the air flow performance and related benefits described elsewhere and there is no other solution that moves and mixes as much air as efficiently and cost-effectively. AirMotion Big Smart Fans are a study in leveraging Newton’s three laws of motion to achieve optimal air motion performance.


What is AirMotion Smart VPT™ HVLS fan?


Applying the concepts of fluid dynamics with smart technologies and commendable engineering expertise, AirMotion Sciences has developed Smart VPT HVLS fans - the next generation of High Volume Low Speed (HVLS) fans. AirMotion Smart VPT HVLS fans are purposely designed to be 9 ft, 12 ft, and 15 ft in diameter with a low profile and packed with the smartest features in the big fan industry - like, Variable Pitch Technology (VPT™), Rotatair™ Composite blades, and MultiMode Smart Control - to provide a complete and more effective air movement and mixing throughout a facility than the old generation larger HVLS fans. The fans are easy to install and operate, use very little energy and last a long trouble-free life. Their innovative sizes do not hinder the most common lighting and fire suppression setups, and the low profile design helps them fit in any applications including low-roof facilities as well as above cranes and other areas where space is tight; while providing air movement equivalent to 24 ft fans. They are operated from a low voltage MultiMode Smart Control unit which is installed at the ground level controlling the fan speed, blade pitch, power on/off, and five operating modes of the fan. The fans use six Rotatair blades made of composite material - they are stronger yet lighter than the standard aluminum blades, and optimally shaped to be wider near the hub of the fan and narrower at the tips ensuring low turbulence and allowing fluid air movement across the fan. Unlike other blades with aerofoil shape AirMotion's Rotatair Composite blades are symmetrical for equal effectiveness in moving air Up or Down.


What is VPT™ (Variable Pitch Technology)?


The most advanced feature of AirMotion Big Smart Fans is the Variable Pitch Technology (VPT™). It lets you change the blade pitch from 0° to 20° - up or down - to blow air in a columnar flow for narrower focus or conically disperse it for a wider reach - we call it Adjustable Air Movement. The symmetry of the Rotatair blades ensures 100% upward or downward air movement. With two or more fans arranged in an array you can get an all-encompassing, wave like air movement and mixing throughout your facility by adjusting some fans to move the air upward while others moving the air downward. We call it Complete Facility Movement of air.

Our state-of-the-art application of Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) enables the fans to run at varying speeds (from 20 to 100 RPM). With the use of VFD and VPT together the fans can be adjusted to move the maximum amount of air within any given facility.


If your Smart VPT fan performs as well as the larger fans, why introduce your Smart MPT fan line?


It’s true our Smart VPT HVLS fans in 9 to 15 ft diameters provide the air movement and mixing of 16 to 24 ft conventional HVLS fans - of course with much greater versatility and control over air movement than the others - but we find some customers just want big fans without all the features our Smart VPT fans offer. So our engineering talent went to work and have come up with another innovative HVLS fan solution.

Our new Smart MPT HVLS fans provide massive air movement - the likes of which the industry has yet to see - with a robust, high performance yet energy efficient, and compact 3HP motor. This, along with our specifically engineered blades and optimal pitch angle, as well as some of the smart controls adapted from our Smart VPT fans, makes the Smart MPT fans a much more effective air mixer and mover than others on the market (in some cases at about half the weight of competing fans of similar diameter). All at a competitive price point. We are excited and proud to offer this new line of HVLS fans to our customers!


What are the key benefits of AirMotion HVLS fans?


The benefits that AirMotion HVLS fans’ quiet and unobtrusive operation provides are many, and more than expected. Actually the benefits are some of the best things one can provide for a facility... in summer - winter - spring - fall - north - south - east - west - whenever, wherever.


What about the energy saving benefits?


Apart from the primary function of providing a comfortable and more productive facility environment, AirMotion big fans provide quick payback and high return on investment through significant energy savings by replacing lots of less energy efficient and less effective high-speed industrial fans (one AirMotion big fan can replace up to 48 or more high-speed fans), by circulating otherwise wasted heat in colder seasons/climates (eliminating stratification of heat), and by effectively supplementing air conditioning (keeping people as cool with widespread air mixing at higher thermostat settings).


Give me some numbers to digest.


Each fan costs about a nickel an hour to operate, using about as much energy as three or four light bulbs.


SAVINGS VERSUS USING STANDARD HIGH-SPEED INDUSTRIAL FANS

It is estimated that it would take at least 15 to 20 high-speed 0.5 hp 36" fans (or twelve or more 48" fans) to accomplish the same cooling effect of one AirMotion Big Fan per 10,000 sq ft of a typical 100,000 sq ft distribution center in Oklahoma City. The annual electrical operating costs over six months of those 15 smaller high-speed fans estimated at the time of this analysis would be approximately $2,376, versus $604 for the one AirMotion big fan. The difference in installed cost of the 15 high-speed fans is estimated to be $1500 less than the installed cost of one AirMotion big fan.

Accordingly, payback of the cost difference is less than a year ($1722 annual savings versus incremental installation cost of $1500). The NPV (Net Present Value) over 10 years would be about $12,500 per AirMotion big fan (not to mention that the smaller high-speed fans will most likely require frequent maintenance and replacement). Cooling 100,000 square feet of DC space means big savings with the big fans. In addition, the AirMotion HVLS fans provide more effective evaporative cooling for greater employee comfort and productivity.


SAVINGS FROM HEAT DESTRATIFICATION

In a typical 100,000 sq ft distribution center near Boston with a 30 ft ceiling height, one can expect a payback period of less than a year on an estimated installed cost of $30,000 for five AirMotion fans (more fans may be necessary if the prime objective is cooling, fewer are needed for heat destratification alone).

In this example, heating degree-days are estimated to be 5,630 such that natural gas is estimated to cost $158,000 annually at the time of this analysis (higher for other fuel sources). It is also estimated that there is at least a 15°F difference in temperature between the floor and ceiling (more of a heat strata difference is often encountered).

Air mixing by AirMotion big fans creates a uniform temperature that reduces the frequency of heater cycling and cuts heat lost by infiltration through the roof would create a 7.5 degree effective difference enabling savings of 20% to 37.5% in heating costs.

Even more savings are possible - it is estimated that there is an additional 10% in realizable savings from heat de-stratification for every 10 ft of additional height, and for every 5 additional degrees of temperature difference.

Using only 20% as an estimate for this example, there is nearly $32,000 in annual savings that can be realized. The annual ROI (Return On Investment) would be over 100%. The NPV (Net Present Value) of the savings over a 10 year period at 6% on such an investment (assuming no further increases in energy costs, which is unlikely, and little or no maintenance or component replacement, which is a realistic expectation) would be about $210,000. That means, a company would be wasting $210,000 over 10 years by not making the $30,000 investment in AirMotion HVLS fans today.


SAVINGS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO AIR CONDITIONING

The same 100,000 sq ft distribution center in Oklahoma City is estimated to require 200 tons of air conditioning at an installed cost of approximately $300,000. The annual maintenance would be estimated at the time of this analysis to be about $7,000 and the annual operating costs would be estimated to be $24,000. Compare the above to the estimated installed cost of about $60,000 for 10 AirMotion HVLS fans having an operating cost during the cooling season of about $6,000. AirMotion big fans would be over $240,000 less expensive to install and $25,000 cheaper to run every year.

If you also consider the savings from heat destratification during the heating season on top of savings as an A/C alternative the energy cost savings become even more remarkable.


SAVINGS VERSUS OTHER HVAC EQUIPMENT

As above, significant financial benefits can result from using AirMotion HVLS fans in lieu of, or as a supplement to, installing and operating typical heating, ventilating, cooling, and other air movement equipment. For example, HVLS fans have been found to be more effective in performance and cost than multiple wall and ceiling mounted ventilation fans that typically have eight to twenty-five horsepower motors. Payback comes quickly from the operating cost savings while providing superior air movement.


One need only look around at all the large spaces they have been in, or drive down the highway to notice all the distribution centers, factories, commercial and municipal maintenance facilities. All are potential opportunities for saving energy while improving comfort with AirMotion Big Fans. If you are reading this and have a large facility that is heated or requires cooling, you would be well advised to install our HVLS fans. The cost of not installing them is much greater than their out of pocket cost. It’s not just a good investment, it’s a smart way to reduce unnecessary use of energy resources and related costs.


Where can these fans be installed?


Any large, high ceiling spaces with high HVAC energy costs can benefit from AirMotion HVLS fans, including -


How do you relate comfort and productivity?


Apart from energy efficiency and cost savings benefits, the primary function of AirMotion HVLS fans is to provide comfort in a facility - more efficiently and effectively than any other air movement solutions. Enhancing comfort within a facility renders an increase in the level of worker and/or livestock productivity. Thus you get happier people (comfortable people are always happier and more productive) and more productivity all while reducing HVAC energy costs significantly.


Well, tell me about the 'green benefits' of AirMotion HVLS fans.


AirMotion Sciences makes energy efficient air movement systems for large facilities/buildings with high HVAC energy costs to help them reduce energy usage while enhancing comfort, productivity, and operational efficiency. Apart from the financial benefits, reduced energy usage and corresponding greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions makes for a greener environment now and for future generations. We think AirMotion HVLS fans are one of the fastest, easiest, least expensive, and smartest ways for facilities to go green when compared with other technologies like wind power or solar energy. Unlike these big and expensive ideas with decade-long payback period, AirMotion HVLS fans start saving energy and the planet immediately.


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