ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2023 - 18

and Blowers, can be used to evaluate the likelihood of
published performance data being realistic.
With air-circulating fans, fan designers can reduce
losses or increase output airfl ow for a given input power
through more effi cient variable-frequency drives, better
gearboxes/belts or direct-drive motors, higher-effi ciency
motors, and increased blade effi ciency. Of course, these
increases in effi ciency must be balanced with the added
fi rst cost to the consumer.
Though not to be considered absolutely accurate, the
data in tables 1 and 2 can be used to intelligently evaluate
published performance data. Take, for example, a cut
sheet for a 24-ft (7.3 m) LDCF with a published maximum
airfl ow of 365,000 cfm (10,336 cmm) and an input power
of 1.75 kW. The rule of thumb in Table 1 is 243,000 cfm
(6,881 cmm) for 1.75 kW for a fan of that size. The ratio
of the published airfl ow to the rule of thumb is 1.5 times,
and the published power is equal to the rule of thumb.
Per the fan laws, increasing the rule-of-thumb airfl ow by
1.5 times would require an input power of approximately
6 kW, so the published input power is 30 percent of the
calculated input power required. From the standpoint of
wire-to-air effi ciency, even if the drive, motor, and blades
had effi ciencies of 99 percent, a 24-ft (7.3 m) LDCF with
1.75 kW of input power could not provide the published
airfl ow. Therefore, the published performance is highly
unlikely to be accurate.
Summary
In the United States, air-circulating fans are federally
covered products with mandatory test procedures and,
in the case of ceiling fans, minimum effi ciency requirements
that must be met for the products to be sold in
the United States.
Design engineers and end users should require that
regulated products be registered in government databases,
where applicable. With unregulated products,
performance data should not be accepted simply because
it is printed on a cut sheet.
References
1) DOE. (2023, May 1). Energy conservation program: Test
procedure for fans and blowers. Federal Register. Washington,
18
2023 AMCA inmot ion
DC: U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/
DOE_FansBlowers
2) DOE. (2022, August 16). Energy conservation program:
Test procedure for ceiling fans. Federal Register. Washington,
DC: U.S. Department of Energy. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/
DOE_Ceiling_Fans
3) AMCA. (2023). Laboratory methods of testing air circulating
fans for rating and certifi cation. ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23.
Arlington Heights, IL: Air Movement and Control Association
International.
4) Dommu, J. (2023, July 27). Notice of proposed rulemaking
(NOPR) for ceiling fans. EERE-2021-BT-STD-0011-0036. Retrieved
from https://bit.ly/EERE-2021-BT-STD-0011-0036
5) DOE. (2022, March 23). Code of federal regulations (Title 10,
Part 430, Subpart B, Appendix U). Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Energy. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/10CFR
_Part430SubpartBAppendixU
6) DOE. (2021, August 19). Code of federal regulations (Title
10, Part 431, Subpart J). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of
Energy. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part431SubpartJ
7) EPA. (2011). Energy Star® laboratory guidance manual:
Building a testing facility and performing the solid state test
method for Energy Star qualifi cation of ceiling fans. Washington,
DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from https://
bit.ly/EnergyStar_LabGuidance
8) DOE. (2023, June 20). Code of federal regulations (Title 10,
Part 430, Subpart C, Section 430.32). Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Energy. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/10CFR
_Part430SubpartCSection430_32
9) DOE. (2023, September 21). Code of federal regulations (Title
10, Part 429, Subpart B, Section 429.12). Washington, DC: U.S.
Department of Energy. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/10CFR
_Part429SubpartBSection429_12
About the Author
Principal engineer, codes and standards, for Big Ass
Fans, Christian Taber, BEMP, HBDP, CEM, is active in the
development of building codes, standards, and regulations,
frequently collaborating with Air Movement and
Control Association (AMCA) International, ASHRAE,
the International Code Council, and the U.S. Department
of Energy. His contributions to the air-movement
industry include leadership roles on committees for
test standards, codes, and publications for fans. He has
presented his work at various national and international
conferences and written several articles published in
ASHRAE Journal.
www.amca.org

https://bit.ly/DOE_FansBlowers https://bit.ly/DOE_FansBlowers https://bit.ly/DOE_Ceiling_Fans https://bit.ly/DOE_Ceiling_Fans https://bit.ly/EERE-2021-BT-STD-0011-0036 https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part430SubpartBAppendixU https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part430SubpartBAppendixU https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part431SubpartJ http://bit.ly/EnergyStar_LabGuidance http://bit.ly/EnergyStar_LabGuidance https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part430SubpartCSection430_32 https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part430SubpartCSection430_32 https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part429SubpartBSection429_12 https://bit.ly/10CFR_Part429SubpartBSection429_12 http://www.amca.org

ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2023

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