Fan or air conditioner (AC): What are the differences?
Protecting employees from the heat is mandatory under current labour regulations, this is only possible with appropriate equipment. To make the right choice between a fan and an air conditioner, you first need to know the features of each, as well as their pros and cons.
Fans: Practical and economical
Fans produce a current of air by stirring the ambient air while running. They create a feeling of freshness in a particular area. However, they do not generate cold air and do not lower the temperature of the room or refresh or improve its air quality.
Fans have many benefits that make them ergonomic devices that can be adapted to several uses. Most fans generally have the following features:
- Adjust the flow rate or blowing intensity to different levels depending on the air requirement (from 1 to 4 usually);
- Choosing the direction they blow in with an automatic pivoting system, which can be set to move back and forth from left to right or to remain fixed in the chosen direction;
- Height adjustable;
- Easily move the unit from one place to another using castors.
As they come in different sizes, fans can be used for generating air currents throughout the room you want to cool thanks to their pivoting mechanisms. There is also the option of individual use depending on how different people feel about the heat.
As they are relatively cheap, it means you can increase the sources of fresh air inside the premises and equip all the employees with one so everybody’s individual comfort can be optimised and, ultimately, so can their overall productivity.
Some of the more expensive fans have other more advanced features such as a remote control, automatic switch-on from a set temperature or an alarm function. Fans without blades can also be used as air purifiers.
Fans come in various forms:
- Standing fans;
- Standing fans for desk use;
- Fans that stir air for bigger rooms;
- More discreet, but less powerful air columns;
- Misting fans, which increase the sensation of freshness by spraying water droplets;
- Ceiling fans, often combined with a lighting function.
Air conditioners: Powerful and increasing overall comfort
When it is really too hot, air conditioners cool rooms down and they do it immediately after the appliance is activated. This lowers the temperature in the room by several degrees and makes it feel cooler.
Air conditioners also have an air renewal function in the sense that they suck the warm air out of the space and replace it with a flow of cooler air through a compressor. They make the premises significantly more comfortable thanks to an automatic temperature cooling control feature, enabling users to set a specific temperature.
Air conditioners can be fixed (wall-mounted, often with a reversible heating system). Portable air conditioners (called “monoblock” for small rooms or “split” for large spaces) are also available.
Portable monoblock air conditioners are designed for occasional use and can be moved around easily thanks to their castors. The hot air is expelled through a duct whose conduit must be fed through a window opening.
Portable split air conditioners, on the other hand, are separated into two parts connected by a duct. One of the two parts (the condenser) is placed outside to discharge the hot air. Split models are more powerful than monoblock designs and quieter, as the motor is located outside the room.
There are many advantages to air conditioners are numerous: They’re more powerful so they make the premises more comfortable. On the other hand, they use a lot of energy and are often noisy.
Fan or air conditioner: What is the right choice for your company?
If the above isn’t enough to help you choose between a fan or an air conditioner, here are the main criteria you should factor in when choosing the right product to optimally equip your company’s premises during a heat wave.
The main thing is not to wait for a heat wave to arrive before you equip your premises, whether you choose an air conditioner or a fan. The best thing to do is to plan your purchases, starting in the spring, so you don’t end up facing the stock outs that often occur during the summer period. Take stock of your requirements so that you are ready when the time comes.
Another piece of good advice is not to neglect the maintenance of your existing appliances: Once again, you should anticipate and schedule an annual MOT test to ensure that they are in working order before the onset of hot weather.
Geographical location
Although the differences have been less noticeable in recent years, the average outdoor temperature is generally higher in southern Europe than in the North, and heat waves are also more frequent. Installing air conditioning is therefore more appropriate in warmer regions. Companies located in temperate zones that only experience high temperatures during the summer months can make do with fans.
Other cooling options include installing water dispensers near the dining room area and/or the lavatories.
Power requirements
The power required will depend on the size and layout of the premises. If you are looking to equip a large area (an open-plan office, for example), you should opt for a fixed or split air conditioner. Their power varies from 1,500 to 4,000 watts of energy, whereas fans have an average power of 50 watts of energy for most units.
As it can cool down a lot of employees at the same time, investing in air conditioning, despite the bigger cost at the outset, soon pays for itself in terms of comfort and productivity. For surface areas ranging from 10 m² to 60 m², a single unit air conditioner is enough to cool the air significantly.
Last but not least, if your premises are organised into a multitude of small spaces (private offices, for instance), it is better to choose a fan, given the quantity of equipment that needs purchasing. The heat generated will be lower because of the lower human density as well as the fact that there aren’t so many electrical appliances.
Please also note that many people are sensitive to air conditioning and cannot stand a temperature that is too different from the outside temperature. If this is the case, use personal fans or natural ventilation at the hottest times of the day.
Budget
If you have a lot of rooms to equip, buying air conditioners can quickly become expensive, especially as you will also have to include maintaining these appliances in your budget. They require an annual technical inspection (for appliances containing more than 2 kg of refrigerant) as well as filter maintenance and cassette emptying. Air conditioners are also very energy-intensive. These are additional expenses that need to be included in your electricity budget and which must be assessed in terms of the efficiency and the expected cooling effect.
Nevertheless, investing in air-conditioning equipment can be offset by the option of obtaining governmental aid in certain countries conditional on improving buildings’ energy performance.
Noise levels
If your teams are involved in work that requires maximum concentration and energy, the noise level of monoblock mobile air conditioners (often higher than 59 decibels) can affect their focus. A fan, split air conditioner or stationary air conditioner, all of which are less noisy, are more suitable. However, some air conditioners have a “night” or “sleep” mode that reduces noise pollution to around 20 decibels.
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