HVLS Fans: A Commercial HVAC Assistant

The heating and cooling of commercial spaces, particularly larger commercial buildings, can be a tricky business. There are a lot of factors to consider: employee/customer comfort, product integrity, humidity, and costs. All of these factors are compounded by the large spaces commercial businesses often inhabit, making steady climate either temperamental or expensive.

Visit commercial spaces and you may notice a growing trend lately – large, slowly rotating fans in airports, gyms, warehouses and shopping malls. These large (around 18ft in diameter) industrial fans are called High Velocity Low Speed (HVLS) fans, and they could be good partners with your commercial HVAC system. Read on to learn why:

    1. Keep Room Temperature Uniform: HVLS fans help keep the temperature in a room uniform, which means there aren’t cold or hot temperature pockets in certain places, or temperature variances from ceiling to floor. This uniform temperature can be a big benefit for a business needing to protect product integrity, or for offices where irregular temps make for disgruntled workers.

    1. HVAC System Works Less: HVLS fans help further distribute the air that your commercial central air or furnace works to condition. This air circulation helps maintain the desired temperature longer in summer and winter before the HVAC system needs to cycle again, meaning less wear and tear on your system.

  1. Saves Money: When the HVAC system works less, energy costs can also be less. While there is the initial investment of the fans, you have to keep in mind both the savings accumulated by the HVAC system running less and the reduction of wear and tear on your system, which can elongate its lifespan.


HVLS fans may not keep a large commercial space cool all on their own during the sweltering Atlanta summers, but as a partner with a good HVAC system, HVLS fans can help improve indoor climate while reducing the load on your heating and cooling systems.

If you live or do business in Alpharetta, Johns Creek or the greater Atlanta area and want to learn more about how to improve the climate of your commercial space, contact us at Gagne.

Also, be sure to visit our Knowledge Center to learn more about commercial HVAC solutions.