Preamble: noise doubles every 3 dB(A) decibels (see article on noise/silence)
Mobile packaged air conditioners are very noisy (at least 50 dB(A), equivalent to the noise of a washing machine in operation), as the entire unit is located inside the room. Split” air conditioners have an outdoor unit that takes care of the noisiest and most “heating” tasks, to limit indoor discomfort.
Please note that the law defines a “tolerable” threshold for the neighborhood that must be respected: the addition of equipment must not increase noise by more than 5 dB(A) during the day and 3 dB(A) at night (article R. 1334-33 of the French Public Health Code). The sound level of the external module of an air conditioner is at least 45 dB(A).
Beware, too, of the claims made by some air conditioner manufacturers for a “sound level” of around 20 dB(A), which corresponds to silence. A closer analysis of the technical data sheets reveals that this figure corresponds to a sound pressure without further indicator.
Sound pressure is measured at a given distance, while sound power is measured on the product.
So beware of sound pressure values that are not associated with distance.
The only recommendation we can make is to go and listen to the product.
The noise generated by fans varies according to their “morphology”: the fewer blades a propeller has, the faster it must turn, and the faster it turns, the more audible vibrations it creates. The smaller the diameter of a propeller, the faster it must turn, and the more audible vibrations it creates.
It should be noted that so-called “propellerless” fans actually have a small-diameter propeller hidden in the base, which rotates very quickly. This partly explains the high noise levels generated by this type of fan. In fact, you’ll often find that manufacturers of this type of fan only compare their noise levels to those of their older products.
Grilles and other mechanical supports in the air flow also contribute to noise generation. Plastic grilles are noisier because they have a larger cross-section than metal grilles, while radial grilles are noisier than annular grilles because they obstruct the airflow in the central part. Sound power is proportional to the fan power selected, so the more speed settings the fan has, the more you can adjust the noise level. The best-performing fans can approach 40 dB(A), while the worst performers exceed 70 dB(A).
The Williwaw is THE silent fan:
At low power, it emits just 33 dB(A), which is imperceptible even when used in a quiet room: when you’re sleeping or trying to concentrate at the office.
At full power, it emits 47dB(A), which is 4 times quieter than fans without propellers for twice the flow rate.
The Williwaw’s silent prowess was made possible by a highly advanced design: a 9-blade propeller to reduce rotation speed, a digital motor for finer speed adjustment, spiral grilles to minimize obstructed surface and optimization work on water-drop sections on all mechanical supports around which the airflow circulates.
To produce cold, you unfortunately have to produce heat. The heat produced must therefore be evacuated in some way. This is done either by installing the external diffusion module, or by direct evacuation via a pipe connected to the outside.
From an environmental standpoint, the impact on outdoor temperatures is direct:
“If all Parisian homes were equipped with air conditioning, average electricity consumption during heatwaves would double, raising street temperatures by 3°C compared to a city with no air conditioning at all..” Environmental Research Letters
Since it acts on the entire mass of air in the room, the air conditioner only produces its effect with a significant latency time, and this poses several problems:
Stationary air conditioners have a number of constraints:
Mobile air conditioners, on the other hand, require no installation work and can be moved to different rooms in the home, but need to be connected to the outside. They therefore impose new constraints:
To generate freshness, the fan acts on the air speed [[see article How a fan cools]]
The fan is a highly flexible solution, since all you need to use a fan is a power outlet: no work required.
The fan has an immediate, local effect, so there’s no need to cool the whole house when you’re in a single room.
However, fans suffer from a number of practical shortcomings:
Williwaw takes the strengths of fans and eliminates the shortcomings of traditional fans:
This superimposition needs to be broken to recover the heat already paid for but stagnating on the ceiling, and to harmonize the temperature to ensure optimum thermal comfort: this is destratification. [[ link to destratification ] ] The Williwaw achieves this with its pivoting head, directing the flow of air from the bottom upwards to force the warm air downwards, where it mixes with the other layers of air: this is the convection mode.
Among the 6 parameters of thermal comfort, air conditioners play on the “ambient temperature” parameter. [[read the article on the 6 keys to thermal comfort]] Yet this parameter is the most energy-intensive to modify.
This means a minimum consumption of 2500W. The most commonly used rule of thumb is 110W per m2 of room surface to be cooled, plus 200W per person present.
Cooling with air conditioning means refrigerating all the air in an enclosed space. The larger the volume of the space, the greater the need energy to cool the people people in the space.
Because of the time it takes for a room to cool down, it’s common for a place to be air-conditioned even when it’s unoccupied, to provide immediate comfort on entering. This is a major source of waste of energy.
What’s more, air-conditioning requires an enclosed enclosed space to prevent the refrigerated air from escaping, which in the case of mobile air conditioners is made impossible by the need to provide an outlet to the outside. outlet to the outside.
Aware of the energy aberration caused by the use of air conditioning, the Swiss law energy law drastically regulates the installation of air conditioners in the name of sustainable development. In some cantons, authorization is required to install an air-conditioning system. comfort and the criteria for obtaining them are very strict.
Inspectors carry out checks to ensure compliance with the law.
With power consumption ranging from 5 to 70 Watts, fans are a much more energy-efficient way of dealing with heat peaks than air conditioners. Their conventional motors generate heat and wear, which means they are not optimally efficient.
The Williwaw is very energy-efficient, needing just 5 W to give you a good night’s sleep when it’s 29 degrees. At full power, just 48 W create general convection to keep everyone cool. This performance is made possible by the use of a digital motor with no overheating or wearing parts, coupled to a 9-blade propeller with unrivalled efficiency: 1.28 m3/min/W according to EN60704-2-7.
NB:
Solutions that reduce the consumption of ventilation and heating/air-conditioning equipment in the home are particularly relevant, since this equipment now accounts for 75% of consumption in the French residential sector.
Air conditioning dries out the airwhich can weaken mucous membranes (nose, mouth, throat), leaving skin and eyes drier.
Excessive temperature differences between outside and inside air can cause thermal shock.
Its use is also frequently associated with contractures, a reflex contraction of certain muscles that can last for several hours.
The air-conditioning can be serious pathologies such as legionellosis (hundreds of cases of hundreds of cases of legionellosis have been reported in France over the past 20 years). The water formed by condensation stagnates in a tank inside the air conditioner: if not emptied regularly, it can become a veritable nest of microbes. If not emptied regularly, it can become a veritable breeding ground for microbes, spreading rapidly and widely, leading to pulmonary infections, and even respiratory failure and pneumopathy in the most vulnerable individuals.
During the day, intensive use of a fan too close to the face can dry out the cornea.
The health risks of using a fan to sleep are debated.
Lhe study on optimal conditions for sleep by Nasa circadian cycle specialist Eryn Flinn Evans concludes that “fans seem to be useful for sleeping to improve circulation in the room, for example by preventing pockets of CO2 in the environment (…). However, we also found a study showing that many people dislike high-intensity airflow on their skin. Based on these results, we recommended that people use a fan to circulate the air at night, but have the option of directing the airflow in their preferred direction. “
The fan can dry out the mucous membranes, especially when it runs continuously while you sleep and directly in your direction. Given the principle of cooling by evaporation of micro-transpiration [[green link How a fan cools down ]]especially for the elderly, regular hydration is essential to avoid the risk of dehydration.
The wide, gentle flow generated reduces the risk of drying out mucous membranes and/or corneas. What’s more, the Williwaw is the first fan to offer indirect airflow, thanks to its pivoting head: the airflow can be directed towards a wall or ceiling to generate a much more diffused indirect ventilation.
Overall :
“The 1.6 billion air conditioners installed worldwide generate 10% of the world’s electricity consumption”..
It is therefore urgent to find an alternative to their use.
At local level :
Air conditioners use refrigerants for cooling. The latest-generation fluids are often referred to as “natural” fluids. However, they are hydrocarbons: R290 and R600a are the most common and are called propane and iso-butane respectively.
The use of these refrigerants makes the use of air conditioners risky in several respects:
As far as the fans are concerned, there are no risks to report, as they use no hazardous substances. They operate purely mechanically, using a motor to turn the propeller that generates the airflow.
At Williwaw, you’ll sleep peacefully and save money!
Mobile air conditioners, with their trunk-like appearance on wheels, are difficult to blend into the décor. When they’re not outright banned by the Architectes des Bâtiments de France, fixed air conditioners impose their ugly exterior casings on the facades of the buildings they equip. Inside, their large, high-mounted casings and diffuser grids are extremely difficult to integrate.
Devoid of any aesthetic bias, standard fans are very often hidden away as soon as their use is no longer essential.
The Williwaw has been designed to blend into your interior as a real piece of furniture. Its Scandinavian-inspired style, subtly blending wood and lacquered white, makes it a timeless object. Simplicity of form and use conceal the technical complexity that ensures the Williwaw’s performance, making it an example of “simplexity”.
[[Link to article “simplexity]]
To limit the risk of malfunctions and prevent leaks of harmful air-conditioning gases, routine maintenance must be carried out every year. The regulations governing air-conditioning leakage control require maintenance to be carried out by a certified operator. Ideally, an air conditioner’s filters should be cleaned every 2 à 3 weeks.
To keep your fan running smoothly and clean, we recommend regular cleaning of the impeller and grille.
Maintenance is made as easy as possible: the propeller and removable grid are dishwasher-safe. Propeller disassembly video
The purchase price of an air conditioner starts at 300€ for single-package mobile units and goes up to 900 (excluding installation costs by a specialized installer) for stationary air conditioners. As you move upmarket, prices quickly exceed €2,000.
Added to this is the average cost of maintaining an air conditioner, which is more than 200 per year and annual maintenance packages are available.
Finally, there’s the cost of electricity consumption:
At the outset, a fan costs a few dozen euros for entry-level models, and up to 800 euros for the most powerful.
No maintenance costs and almost negligible electricity costs.
As part of an eco-responsible approach, we advise you to choose a product that is robust by design, and to take into account its warranty conditions.
Quiet, useful, durable, powerful and economical, Williwaw is the credible alternative to air conditioning in summer.
What’s more, with the added benefits of convection mode for de-stratification in winter, the Williwaw is an investment that will quickly pay for itself in energy savings. [[read article on destratification]]
Comparison of air conditioner vs Williwaw running costs:
| Appliance : | Air conditioner | Williwaw |
| Power (W) : | 2500 | 15 |
| Price kWh (€) : | 0,14 | 0,14 |
| Operating time/day (h) : | 15 | 15 |
| Cost per day : | 5,25 € | 0,03 € |
| Cost per month : | 157,50 € | 0,95 € |
