Last week, one of our competitors issued a “news release” hinting—well, stating actually—that our AirScape 1.7 puts out somewhere between 40% and 100% less air than we advertise (how do you put out 100% less? read on…)

Their news release claims to have test results that show our fan putting out far less air than their similarly-rated unit, and NO AIR AT ALL under a moderate static pressure load of .07”.

While I’m hesitant to even respond to this silly allegation, I thought it best to go on record: This is not only unfounded (nobody we know has seen the “test results” they offer, and not for lack of asking), but for anyone that understands the principles of airflow, it’s just downright silly.

In the course of the development of our new 3000 CFM AirScape 3.0, we asked EBM (one of the world’s most sophisticated fan manufacturers) to test the AirScape 1.7 WHF at their R&D facility in Farmington, CT. Results confirm that the AirScape 1.7 delivers 1745 CFM (nominal) and 1350 CFM at .07” static pressure. This almost exactly matches our own “in-situ” measurements. And unlike our competition, we’re happy to post the results publicly.

Here’s our 1.7 mounted in the EBM test facility.

And here’s a graph of the test result:

Now for those of you who are not HVAC engineers, don’t be alarmed when you notice that the airflow drops to zero. (This does not back up our competitors claims!) The methodology for this type of test is to keep increasing the static pressure far beyond any normal tolerances until the equipment simply fails—it’s like a stress test for air movement equipment. On the chart you will see that the 1.7 airflow drops to zero at around .27”—way, way beyond any normal operating environment for this type of equipment.

Whole house fans are designed to work in typical attic environments—they are not designed to perform against significant static pressure. This is why it is important to have enough attic venting, so the attic air has little resistance to being pushed out.

We’re really put off that our competitor would use such cheesy and deceitful tactics (But not surprised really as they’ve played number games before in their misguided marketing efforts.) Bottom line is: We’re thrilled with the real-world performance of our 1.7, and so are thousands of AirScape customers around the US. And, yes, Tamarack, we actually DO have the test results to prove that :-)

Posted by Neil Smith on Apr 2, 2008

The results are in from our latest AirScape customer survey, and the numbers this year are even BETTER than last year.

First off, we had a response rate over 25%, which our marketing guys tell me is nearly unheard of. That tells us people are engaged with their AirScape fans. That’s a good sign for us and a good sign for the green zeitgeist.

Here’s some highlights:

• over 85% are “thrilled” or “very satisfied” with their AirScape


• over 80% say it “absolutely” enhances the enjoyment of their home


• just 4% said they would NOT install another one if they moved


• over 90% rated our customer service as “good” or “excellent”


• 93% said installation went “very quick and easy” or “pretty well – no major problems”


• 94% have demonstrated their AirScape to others—half of those have done demos “often”

Anecdotally, one frequent comment we received is that—unlike many things these days—our product actually lives up to our promise. We take pride in our products and also in presenting them in a clear honest light; so it’s very gratifying to us that this type of straight-ahead marketing is both effective and appreciated in this over-hyped world we live in.

We’ve also pulled a HUGE pile of testimonials. In fact, there were so many that we couldn’t even get through them all. But we have posted scores of them from all over the U.S. —take a look—it’s one looong page…

Thank you to all our customers that participated in the survey!

Posted by Neil Smith on Mar 6, 2008

We made our TV debut on the Discovery Home Channel.

A new show, Greenovate, went to air last month. It featured a “green makeover” for a house in San Francisco, and part of that makeover was an AirScape 1.7 WHF.

It’s our first supporting role, so we don’t get much screen time, but there was a lot to cover in the 22 minutes and our whole house fan was just one player in the drama.

We think you’re going to be seeing a lot more TV time devoted to sustainable green building and lifestyle in general, and hopefully much more on whole house fans as an important part of the green building equation.

Posted by Neil Smith on Feb 29, 2008

If you’re a California builder and are interested in green building on any level, you should get to know Build It Green

Coming from the world of commercial construction, I’ve been passionate about green building for years. My San Jose house has solar panels, tankless water heaters, R-30 insulation high-performance HVAC systems—and of course two whole house fans.

One day, all buildings will be green; it’s just the right way to build. But until recently, it’s been an uphill battle trying to get people to pay any attention—let alone invest time/money—in green building.

But things have been changing fast in the last year or two. And one of the important catalysts for change in California is the non-profit organization Build It Green. They’ve been working very effectively over the last couple of years to promote green building in it’s truest sense: from energy efficiency to livability. Their short-term goal is to facilitate the greening of 10,000 homes across the state. Their long-term goal is to help bring about a sea change where the term “green building” is no longer relevant because it is simply standard practice in California.

This organization is a great hub for the green building community to rally around to share ideas, experiences, techniques and contacts. They understand that for green building to really catch on, it must be financially viable and they work hard to help builders and contractors to embrace green building successfully.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out their site. We’ve recently become members ourselves and are really happy we did.

Posted by Neil Smith | Feb 29, 2007

A quick look at how an AirScape whole house fan stacks up in terms of saving money and reducing carbon emissions by saving electricity.

The first thing to know: saving electricity reduces your carbon footprint.

A lot of consumers equate their carbon output with driving. But simply running your computer creates carbon emissions too. That’s because much of the electricity in the US is generated by coal. Looking at US Department of Energy figures, the average kW generated in the US creates about 1.36 pounds of C02 emissions. So when you save electricity, you’re not just saving money, you’re helping to reduce carbon emissions that are causing global warming.

It’s all about using the least amount of energy for the task at hand

To me, using the least possible energy for a given purpose goes beyond green, it’s just plain sensible. Use what you need to get the job done, but no more than necessary. In any system design, this is a core engineering principle.

You need electric light in your house. Why would you use an old incandescent 60W bulb, when you can use a new 12W CFL bulb to provide the same light (and much less heat)? This same principle drives us in promoting whole house fans. Why would you run an air conditioner that may use 2-3000 Watts or more, when you could use a whole house fan to accomplish the same task and use 140 Watts or less? (I don’t mean to imply here that a WHF is the same as an Air Conditioner, but in the right circumstances they both do the same job: keep your living space comfortable.)

How an AirScape WHF compares as a green option for your home

For a long time I’ve been curious to do a little comparison, so , using numbers from my own experience combined with various other sources, I finally made up a spreadsheet. The idea is to compare an AirScape fan with CFL bulbs on one hand and a solar system on the other, comparing not just energy and C02 emission savings, but also the financial cost of those savings.

Now bear in mind that I needed to make a lot of assumptions on variables that are, well, widely variable. So you should consider this simply an example rather than some predictive model for your situation. This is based on my own situation and experience, as I have implemented all three technologies in my own home and, being the energy-saving geek that I am, have followed the energy curves closely over the years.

Here’s the results distilled into three charts:

A final word about solar and being green

I don’t mean to imply that solar is a bad idea—it’s a great idea. It’s green and clean, and the more solar power we generate, the better off the planet will be. The only problem is that it is still expensive and doesn’t have as impressive an ROI as other options. However, with rebate programs rising and prices dropping every year, that’s changing. I urge everyone I know to install a solar system if they can afford it.

Of course, I also urge everyone I know to install a whole house fan, which is a lot more affordable, has a more compelling financial case and is a great under-appreciated way to become a little greener.

• 1900 sq ft home in San Jose CA
• incremental blended energy cost of 0.25 per kW/h (this is high, but that’s California for you!)
• DOE average carbon output of 1.36 lbs per kW/h
• about 1200 hours of cooling operation per year (for either A/C or WHF)
• WHF operation replaces 1.5 tons of AC cooling at 1.2 kW per ton efficiency
  (this is the mushiest assumption but after years of experience both in my own home and in commercial ventilation I confident it is reasonable)
• replacing 60W incandescent bulbs with 12W CFL bulbs in 20 locations, with each bulb operating an average of 5 hours per day
• 2kW solar system generating full output for an average of 5 hours every day of the year

If you are interested in diving deeper into these calculations, Give me a ring @ 1.866.448.4187—I’d be happy to chat about them.

Posted by Neil Smith on November 29, 2007

The Sunset San Francisco Idea House is the one of the first LEED compliant urban renovation projects: and AirScape is part of the solution.

Of course, it’s our feeling that whole house fans are an important part of any sustainable house design, yet we still have a lot of educating and evangelizing to do. So it’s gratifying whenever we get a serious endorsement—it’s like we can feel building industry opinion shifting another notch.

Well, we just jumped a big notch recently. Sunset magazine has been a leader in this part of the world in terms of promoting sustainable and energy efficient building, and their latest project in San Francisco is perhaps, in terms of sustainability goals, the most ambitious yet. it;’s one of the first LEED certified residential urban reconstructions in the country, and AirScape whole house fans have been specified to help meet the spec.

We’re thrilled that this high profile project is recognizing the important role that whole house fans can play, and, even better, that AirScape is the fan of choice. We’re really pleased and proud to be part of this project.

You can read more about this project here

Posted by Neil Smith on September 28, 2007

Is your house pouring money out the ductwork? How healthy is your indoor air? If you live in the Bay Area, our friends at Sustainable Spaces can tell you eactly what’s going on and how to fix it.

One of the leaders in the Bay Area green building community is Matt Golden, president of Sustainable Spaces . Matt and his people are committed to making homes healthier and more energy efficient using a variety of high-tech gadgets and replacing outdated building components.

With this mission, Matt is addressing one of my favorite personal rants: Poorly designed and/or installed HVAC systems that don’t deliver conditioned air efficiently. Most people don’t realize this, but bad ductwork can reduce energy efficiency by up to 40%. And there is absolutely NO reason for this other than sloppy building practices and lack of concern for the homeowner and the environment. Yet, sadly, this is often the case with production homes of every era.

What’s frustrating is that if the problem of leaky houses were eliminated across the country, this would do more to save energy and reduce C02 emissions than if everyone in America switched to a hybrid vehicle. It’s a huge energy conservation opportunity that requires nothing more than building something right.

Matt and his company are on the leading edge of the movement to create healthy and environmentally responsible dwellings. Part consultants and part contractor — they call what they do applied building science .

They’ll come on site and measure how your home performs as a total system. Not only energy efficiency but air quality too. And they’ll provide specific recommendations for making your house healthier and more efficient. They’ve tuned up 100s of Bay Area homes (including Ellen DeGeneres!) and I’m sure they’d love to help you fix yours.

Sustainable Spaces also works with architects and developers, providing an integrated systems approach to ensuring that home design incorporates proper HVAC sizing, design, and installation, with a super efficient envelope and passive systems for comfort, IAQ, and energy efficiency.

We applaud Matt for working in the trenches, one house at a time, to both raise awareness and help fix this frustratingly needless problem of residential energy waste. If you live in the Bay Area and suspect your house is wasting energy, we urge you to give Matt a call.

Posted by Neil Smith | September 25, 2007

We’re breathing a satisfied sigh of relief over our remarkable customer survey results.

It’s always a little nerve-racking when you actually ask for criticism. It’s even more anxiety-inducing when the questions concern a brand new product that you’ve really put your heart into; and when you’re asking customers to do the criticizing, rather than, say, your mom.

Well, for our new line of whole house fans, we just had to know. So we sucked it up, held our breath and asked. And are we ever glad we did.

The response was overwhelming, both in quality and quantity. We received over 17% response, which, in the world of customer surveys, is incredible (a 3% response is considered respectable). And out of all our respondents, over 92% were somewhere between satisfied and thrilled with their purchase, which is, again, an incredible number.

Perhaps the most exciting thing we learned is that nearly 70% demonstrate the unit to friends and family. That’s critical for us, because we believe that the very best marketing—in fact the only sustainable marketing—comes from happy customers doing the selling for us.

And of course we received lots of constructive feedback on how to make our whole house fans even better. We’ll be working hard to implement all the great ideas that we can.

Obviously, we’re huge believers in natural cooling with whole house fans. So it’s immensely gratifying to hear from our customers that we’re on the right track.

March 2007

This is our first award, so forgive me if my speech isn’t up to Oscar standards.

Our new AirScape 1.7 Whole House Fan was selected as one of the Top-10 new consumer building products at PCBC 2006. For those of you who aren’t building geeks, PCBC stands for the Pacific Coast Builders Conference, which is the largest building trade show on the west coast. You can read more about the award on the California Builder magazine site here .

And here’s the nifty logo we get to use on our web site.

We’d like to thank all our staff and customers for their support. But particularly, we’d like to thank our product engineering team for creating such a great product. We’ll be clearing our mantel for this and more awards to come!

June 2006