Hot Summer Nights? Sleep Cool And Cut Electric Bills With a Bedfan
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden 
on 07. 8.08
Home air conditioning accounts for about 5 percent of U.S. electricity usage. In the winter, snuggling under the comforter and turning the thermostat down is a time-honored tradition, but what about in the hot and sweaty mid-summer season?
Texan Ken Tompkins wanted to cut his high summer electric bill by turning his thermostat up, so he designed a small fan cooling system that attaches to a bed. The fans nestling next to the floor underneath the bed blow cooler air up into the sheets, moving body heat out of the bed. Sounds kinky but Bedfan claims it can cut an electric bill by up to 20 percent in summer if the user turns a home's thermostat up around eight to ten degrees. At around $90 the unit could soon pay for itself - though of course multiple beds mean multiple Bedfans. While for many homes it wouldn't replace air conditioning unit or HVAC systems, for climates where unbearably hot evenings are generally only a handful per year it could replace the need for a summertime only unit. For hot climate living, Bedfan could take some of the strain off of a solar air conditioning system. The Bedfan uses around 10 watts of power and can move 100 cubic feet of air per minute. Via ::Bedfan
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Very nice. Not as good if the other person in your bed hates having a fan blowing on them, though.
I don't have air conditioning at the moment, so on the really hot days I ditch my blanket and as much of my pajamas as decency will allow. A moist washcloth, ideally one that has been in the fridge for an hour or two, placed on the forehead, back, or neck can also be quite effective.
Anthony must not live in Texas, where 80 degree lows at night are not uncommon.
I worry about the fire hazard...elecrtonics + movable parts + linens = house fire.
Also - we just bought a little desk fan for my husband who roasts even in winter and set it on his bedside table. It blows on him and I snuggle under the covers (I'm one of those "cold when it's in the 70s" people)
I can't see how this is better than my ceiling fan.
and I bet this has one of those power sucking transformers that you can't unplug because it's under your bed.
I was excited, but now I'm not.
---------author replies -------------
It's supposed to be much more effective than a ceiling fan which moves warm air around while this moves the body warmth created from your sleeping body away so that you sleep more comfortably. As for the power sucking transformer you can't unplug you'll have to ask them, but if they say that it only costs "nickles per month" to run it can't be that power sucking.
What we need is a miniature duct work servicing the beds from a small/portable A/C unit for night time just to keep persons in bed cool enough to get restful sleep and not airconditioning room after room whaich is a big waste.
[quote]I can't see how this is better than my ceiling fan.
and I bet this has one of those power sucking transformers that you can't unplug because it's under your bed.[/quote]
Just plug this fan in to a motion-sensor plug, like this one. When you stir about in discomfort at night, ta-da, the fan switches on!
But doesn't this nullify the Dutch Oven effect that so many of us love to subject our partners to?
:D
Hmm keeping my windows open in my bedroom and my small fan on does the trick for me.
I always end up throwing off the sheets in summer. I like the idea for a small duct providing air for the individual sleepers, but it is hard to imagine a duct that would not be uncomfortable to have in the bed. I would put it above them. if the duct was only a foot or two away the amount of cool air you would need would be tiny compared to a room AC unit.
Actually after looking over some of the stats on the bedfan it looks like it can use less than 1 watt and is ul approved.
Think i may try one its only 79
http://www.sciencetoystore.com/contents/en-us/d134_Bedfan_FAQ.html
I just wanted to address some of the questions and concerns listed here. First off, I am the inventor, developer, and producer of the Bedfan. So with that in mind let me just say, these are all legitimist concerns and questions but they all have answers.
1) Will this bother the person next to me? Typically not for the air travels along the path of least resistance and that is along the person using the fan.
2) All units are UL/ETL tested and they are made of fire retardant material, they are also only 12 volts and 800 milliamps. Not a lot of power in those lines.
3) Not better then a ceiling fan> Power sucking. Not power sucking, less than a watt, check the power consumption on your ceiling fan or any other fan you might have. The Bedfan directs the air where it is needed, along your body, and Ceiling fans still have to cool you through your blankets and sheets.
4) Miniature AC.. Good idea, but BIG power sucker. The Bedfan uses the coolest air in the room
5) The unit is turned on and off from under your pillow, Don’t need to get ”under the bed” to unplug it.
6) Yes it works, if you are a hot sleeper you know the feeling of raising the sheet and blanket up with your legs and then letting it down again.. That is the relief you get with the Bedfan.. All night long.
7) Read our testimonials, They all can’t be wrong.
http:/www.bedfan.com
Thank you
Kurt