Last year, we wrote about a ceiling fan made by a company with perhaps the most unfortunate name. The fan is Isis, and the company is Big Ass Fans. There’s no need to wonder what kind of fans the company makes, which is perhaps why the company’s products never really impressed me for residential situations. They were often cumbersome and inelegant, but in the company’s defense, they’re made for industrial applications. Even for people who like industrial chic, Big Ass Fans seemed a bit bulbous. This story is starting to change, as the company has been unveiling elegantly proportioned designs. Haiku is the new introduction.
Dubbed a perfect air-movement machine, Haiku features a cool-running motor with an integrated inverter drive and patented sensorless electronic controls. “The use of direct current and permanent magnetics yields a motor 80% more efficient than traditional AC offerings,” the company says. “The motor’s cool operation enabled a radical change in the fan’s appearance, eliminating the ubiquitous metal shroud and mounting electronics inside the core for a smooth, elegant look.”
According to the company, the typical residential ceiling fan requires 90 watts to 110 watts of electrical input. Haiku, on the other hand, uses only 2 watts to 30 watts, exceeding the Energy Star requirements for watts by 450 percent to 750 percent. Translated, Haiku would use about 50 kilowatts for a cost of around $5 per year. The fan comes in caramel or cocoa Moso bamboo or in white or black matrix composite.
home iq 
Ok, I love the look and all…but this article didn’t answer my real questions about this fan: does it provide a higher airflow than conventional ceiling fans and is the motor QUIET? If the answers to my questions are yes and yes, then I would say that it would be an INVESMENT and the $1000 +/- price tag would be worth it. I’ve returned a number of ceiling fans because they made too loud of a humming noise. The nice, new “80% more energy efficient” thing is nice and all, but quite frankly I have never noticed much of a difference AT ALL in my power bill even when I’ve had it running continuously for weeks on end. Just my two cents.
I agree that function and performance are still to be determine, and that price is insane–way more than I can afford. But the design is still slick.
I was excited about this fan until I saw the price tag … $1000! No thanks.
I agree. That is the problem with so many cool new products–too pricey for the average buyer. Manufacturers need to find a way to produce high-quality products, but consumers also have to get out of a low-price mindset.
I would have to agree with you on this, homeig. The prices on some products are just so ridiculously high, but as you say, people have become so accustomed to the “Made in China”, brought to you by Walmart, pricing, and all too often people are getting what they pay for; junk. My biggest concern is a combination of air movement capacity while operating quietly, truly quietly. If a fan can run quietly and have a few forward and reverse speeds, along with reliable longevity, I don’t mind paying for quality like that.
[…] Ass Fans, famous for its name as much as its awesome fans, is downsizing, so to speak, with a new line of sleek-looking three-blade units designed for residential […]
Very cool to see this. Great company with great products, and now in a small, sleek version for residential. Excellent!
I think it’s excellent too. You don’t realize how large their fans are in pictures, but I was at an airport recently and there are four fans installed. Yikes they are huge! This small version is on the money.
I would have to agree. The fan is a nice option for commercial and residential projects. It would be nice if you had a shorter down-rod for lower ceilings. Keep up the good work.
Thank you for the article! We are very proud of the Haiku. It is a very sleek, elegant fan. We consider it ‘ceiling art’ since it combines beautiful lines and our outstanding BAF technology. 🙂