Corporate Responsibility
Big Ass Fans are designed to last. Our fans use their immense size, not speed, to move large volumes of air. The original Big Ass Fans were guaranteed for three years. Twelve years later, most are still hard at work. With constant improvement to already exceptional products, we now offer the industry’s best warranties on fans we expect to last a lifetime. Why wouldn’t we design them to fail in order to create more sales? Because that’s just not how we do things around here.
Sustainability
“Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” UN World Commission on Environment and Development, “Our Common Future” (The Brundtland Report)
When standard labs were unable to accommodate our large-diameter fans for official airflow testing, we built a testing laboratory that serves as a powerful demonstration of the company’s guiding values. There were no compromises when constructing the 60-ft. tall, 45,000 sq. ft. facility.
Using our own fans, coupled with a commitment to sustainable practices, our experts designed a contemporary, sophisticated facility that uses 35% less energy and 58% less water than a building meeting the minimum code requirements. By employing an innovative design practice during construction, 9% fewer construction materials were used and 51% less landfill waste was generated than typical construction projects. The unique facility earned 41 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) points and Gold Certification through the USGBC.
This major investment shows our long-term vision and provides a place for engineers to test everything from airflow rate, thrust force and air velocity to the structural integrity of each fan component. It also allows us to run trials on incorporating energy usage, thermal comfort systems and sustainable building design practices.
At Big Ass Fans, we create products that increase thermal comfort, productivity, and air distribution effectiveness with minimal environmental impact. We also practice what we preach. Below are some of the recent sustainability initiatives that we have completed in our facilities:
- LEED Gold Certified Building Take a tour of our R&D facility!
- Water Conservation Program – 17,000 gallons per year reduction
- Waste Reduction Program – 15,000 lbs of scrap materials reused per year
- Kentucky Green Energy Leader – at least 50% Green Energy purchased
- 90% of literature is printed on FSC paper using soy-based inks
- Reusable Pallets Made From Recycled Content
Greenwashing
Greenwash is a term used to describe the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. ~Wikipedia
Big Ass Fans are designed to move the maximum amount of air with minimal energy consumption. Our design team uses wind tunnel testing, computational fluid dynamics, finite element analysis, and a combined 100+ years of fan design experience to create and optimize the performance of all of our fans. We do this to provide the most energy efficient fan possible.
We also walk the talk when it comes to environmental stewardship. Staff members are active in environmental and green building organizations, including the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and USGBC. They actively lobby for improved efficiency standards and building guidelines, while on-site LEED Accredited Professionals consult with the builders of energy-efficient projects worldwide.
Our product performance, technical expertise, commitment to sustainability, and refusal to greenwash our products are four of the reasons why Big Ass Fans are used in so many LEED® projects. For additional information on Big Ass Fans or our sustainable initiatives, please contact us at 877-BIG FANS.
