Alabama summers are H-O-T. The 320 employees at the OfficeMax distribution center in McCalla, Ala., can vouch for that because when the mercury climbed outside, it also climbed inside the 600,000-square-foot shipping warehouse.

An air conditioning system was cost-prohibitive. But something had to be done to beat the heat. Facility director Joseph Lamp decided to install eight energy efficient fans in the giant warehouse that would reap year-round benefits.

During the summer months, the fans create gentle breezes in large spaces that can make workers feel about 17 degrees cooler. A single 24-foot diameter fan can move air across a 20,000-square-foot area. The widespread cooling effect can dramatically increase worker productivity and morale.

Costing just pennies a day to operate, the fans provide inexpensive air movement. In the winter, heating warehouses and distribution centers can be expensive and inefficient because most of the heated air goes straight up to the ceiling. The fans counteract this effect by pushing the trapped hot air down to the workers on the floor where it's needed most. As a result, thermostats can be lowered and people stay warm.

Destratification of warm air has the potential to save a facility as much as 25% on annual heating bills.

Lamp explains, “Buying the fans was absolutely the right thing for us to do. The fans not only solved the summer heat and humidity problem, they provided a better climate for our associates. They definitely improved the overall atmosphere in the building.”

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