What Happened to Casablanca?

A couple of statistics for you: 46% of people have moved away from premium brands and 31% are so satisfied with lesser brands, they will never return. Brands, whether SubZero, Yale, Walmart or Sears must have a distinct value proposition or they risk losing more customers than ever.

So much for business philosophy...

Now look at it in practice: Casablanca started when a gentlemen named Burton C. Burton (not a typo) bought and copied some fans from New Orleans and then designed a bunch more named after California towns like Capistrano, Panama and Estrada. He then launched an ambitious R&D program for controls, and created the Intellitouch and other revolutionary remote fan controls.

It was so ambitious that the company went bankrupt and changed hands a bunch of times. Flash forward 10 years, Casablanca is no longer original, just expensive. Simply because, they haven't invested into their company. Now, they are about to lose more market share due to ironically, design and price.

Let me show you:

Casablanca average $450-700 (with lights)








Competition $279-350








RIP Casablanca?

Short Ceilings

Lets see...we have covered angled ceilings for recessed, small spaces for appliances, so how about short ceilings for fans.

Paddle fans can save money by lowering the perceived temperature across your skin like a wind chill. The opposite is true in the winter as the air will be recirculated when the fan is reversed.

For shorter ceilings, buy a ceiling "hugger" (actual industry term). Ceiling huggers are mounted on the ceiling itself without extension poles. This shortens the fans by about 6-12 inches and allows them to be placed in shorter applications..Best manufacturers for selection are Minka, Modern Fan and Casablanca.

Have a look...



Remember fans create wind chill, not actual lower temperature, so shut them off when you leave the room.

Paddle Fans

Paddle fans used to be a Southern thing (I lived in New Orleans I can say that). In the old days, people would buy a white fan and call it a day. Now paddle fans are part light fixture, part design statement and part mover of air.

Paddle fans do not actually lower temperature. They, however, produce a wind chill effect or perceived temperature on the skin. Think of wind chill in the winter. It feels much colder outside with the wind blowing. Reverse the blades in the winter and the heat is disbursed from the ceiling.

There seems to be a changing of the guard in the industry. Casablanca once dominated, but now MinkaAire, Fanimation and Hudson Valley manufacture great fans.

Have a Look...

How to Buy....A Paddle Fan

Google really has fantastic analytics. I have graphs of how many people viewed our blog and how many pages were read. Although Boston is disproportionately represented as you may suspect, it only accounts for 40% of the views. We have somehow been read in Oslo, Scotland and Buttsberg, (Germany). Whatever country, province or area, I would be happy to address any outstanding issues or problems in the home building process as it relates to appliances, lighting and kitchen plumbing.

Our goal is to be an impartial resource to the renovator/remodeller/homeowner not a shill for a particular product or company, even our own.

That being said, lets talk fans. Simple question: Are paddle fans energy efficient or not?

Yes
No
Maybe

The correct answer is Maybe. There is no question that on a certain level fans are more energy efficient. In the summer, they circulate the air, and when reversed, a paddle fan will distribute the heat from the ceiling. However, fans do not lower temperature. They create a "wind chill" effect, but only if you are in the room. Think of a fan as a light bulb(equivalent to a 40 watt), so turn it off when leaving a room.

So how do you buy a fan. Most of the better fans will have a Emerson motor that allows the fan to operate more efficiently, quietly and wobble less. Although fans are available in sizes up to 80 inches, the most common size is 50-52 inch diameter for average to larger size rooms and 42 for smaller rooms. Again, this is Boston, not Baton Rouge. In warmer climates, there is a propensity to have porch fans(make sure they are weather resistant) and fans in bathrooms, which can be as small as 29 inch.

A couple other important factor when buying paddle fans are controls. Fan controls are available in increasing permutations: remotes, intelli-switches as well as the pull chains. A switch should be able to reverse a fan period. Extra functions are great, but you do not want to climb a ladder to reverse a fan.

A couple other suggestions: The optimum height for a fan is 8-9 feet off the floor with a minimum of 7 feet. In taller ceilings, hang the fan at about 25% of the height of the room. Lastly, have some fun with this and try to buy something other than white. There are some very interesting fans from Minka, Fanimation, Casablanca and Emerson. I will post a few for your inspection.