House Republicans Fight Obama's 'War On Ceiling Fans'

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post



WASHINGTON -- Rep. Marsha Blackburn is not a fan. The Tennessee Republican says new regulations on energy efficiency will overly burden businesses in her district.

At the center of Blackburn's concerns is the inclusion of ceiling fans and ceiling fan light kits in a list of appliances for which the Department of Energy is seeking to implement energy efficiency standards, as part of the Obama administration's broader agenda to gain more from each kilowatt of electricity and reduce carbon emissions in the fight against climate change.

As it turns out, Blackburn's state is home to the nation's biggest ceiling fan supplier, the Hunter Fan Company. And so, along with Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.), the congresswoman secured an amendment to the fiscal year 2014 energy-and-water appropriations bill that would prevent the Energy Department from enforcing its energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans and ceiling fan light kits. The amendment was approved by a voice vote, and the final bill passed the House two weeks ago on a mostly party-line vote of 227-198.

Now, ceiling fans are generating national attention, including a segment Monday on NPR, as the new light bulb. Blackburn herself drew the comparison in a House floor speech earlier this month.



Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/24/republicans-ceiling-fans_n_3641709.html

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[Berlum]

1. "I am I, Don De Dopey." - RepubliBaggers (R)

[BREMPRO]

2. so predictably shill... might as well call them the Corporate party.

[Hestia]

3. Hunter Fan should make the better product, using the new standards in their advertising and

probably make more money (not that Hunter Fans are cheap). But noooooo, lets let a Congresswoman - Who Is The Federal Government - bitch and whine about the standards in making that better product. Every mofo thing is not too shallow to pitch a fit over and of course the media, HuffPo included, has to quote the most shrill and ignorant one's who lead their part of the Federal Government. Everything doesn't need "balanced" coverage - energy efficiency being one of them. This is getting tiresome, isn't it?

[groundloop]

4. You are so absolutely correct

EVERY time regulations come along that will force an industry to make changes for the betterment of all, that industry starts crying and whining about how many jobs will be lost. As you said, if the people who run Hunter had half a brain they'd be the first ceiling fan company to roll out products which meet the energy efficiency standards and they'd be touting that fact in their advertising for the next 10 years.

[Atman]

5. This woman is up there (down there?) with Bachman and Palin.

Except for that she's more dangerous, because she is actually intelligent and articulate. A looney nonetheless.

[grilled onions]

6. Today Ceiling Fans....

...tomorrow paper fans! It's not like they never knew this day was coming. Hunter should be at the front of such energy plans instead of using a politician(and a woman yet!) to bad mouth the entire plan. What was that again that hit the fan?????

[PatrynXX]

14. cept some of this is annoying as F***

can't go over 40 watts. as far as sticking a candle style bulb . only type that fits the fans anymore. So I gotta cheat and get a converter so I can stick my 25 watt CFL bulbs in there. Course if you get the wrong fan you'll never be able to pull that off.. Converters are meant for LED bulbs but work just fine on CFL's. Bit annoying I gotta cheat to save money on electricity.

[NutmegYankee]

22. You can buy 60w Candelabra LED bulbs.

They use only 4 watts of electricity.

[Lugal Zaggesi]

7. Your world frightens and confuses me

I'm just an unfrozen Republican Caveman Lobbyist.



Sometimes the honking horns of your traffic makes me want to get out of my BMW, and run off into the hills, or, whatever.
I don't understand how the little demons make ceiling fans angrily swirl when they command it.
Why does the planet keep getting warmer?
I don't know. My primitive mind can't grasp these concepts.

But there is one thing I do know - the Energy Department should not be enforcing energy efficiency standards for electric consumer appliances. People should be free to purchase the absolute cheapest crap available, without regard to future electricity consumption. A dollar saved today is worth a hundred dollars saved next year.
It is a sad state of affairs when even our ceiling fans aren't safe from this administration.
Thank you.

[msanthrope]

12. DUzy!!! nt

[tkmorris]

25. Well played sir.

[EC]

8. Well Hunter Fans

are on my list of not to buy, since they are NOT energy efficient. They wouldn't be fighting this if they were.

[niyad]

10. excellent point

[yellowcanine]

15. If Big Ass Fans can make an efficient fan, why can't Hunter?

Adapt or die, Hunter.

[NutmegYankee]

23. Some models are energy star rated.

I'm not sure what the hell they were thinking here.

[EC]

26. Since republicans don't seem to reflect their

constituencies, maybe Marsha took this up all by herself to complain and Hunter hadn't lobbied. Or maybe Hunter doesn't want to make ALL their fans efficient.

[wordpix]

9. boycott Hunter Fan Co. due to poor energy efficiency

I know I won't buy one and I'm in the market. Thanks for letting me know, Blackburn

[Safetykitten]

11. Home Depot Wants Stuff. There, I fixed the title.

[jojog]

13. My Apologies

She is my Rep.

[Javaman]

16. The Toaster lobby is pissed! nt

[Rain Mcloud]

17. Insist on quality,Craftmade ceiling fans and lighting fixtures!

If they wobble,shake or hum then they are considered to be defective.
Each fan is customizable from the finish to the blade finish and types to the light kits and some are remote controlled or can be adapted through a canopy kit.
If your local retail store does not carry Craftmade then ask them why?!

How do I know? I sold a metric shitonne of them and on occasion one was noisy but this happens up front and not down the road,the reps happily replace those units and so returns to your local retailer are painless because they stand behind their products.
Forget that Hunter crap and do not even fall for the latest incarnation of Stiffel,they are licensed name brands to foreign investment groups and have no connection to the products that were hallmarks of American made quality and style of yesteryear.
Check out the Craftmade online catalog here:
http://www.craftmade.com/

[Kolesar]

18. I need 56" blades for a Craftmade MXL

They don't make that model any more and I don't know what to buy. I read their website.
We bought two Craftmade fans and they are excellent. Some fans have a slight pitch and barely move the air. I recall checking the energy specifications, too.

[Rain Mcloud]

20. If you have the irons(part that attaches blades to motor hub)

then take them to your local Lighting Gallery(check the website for dealer in your area).
I remember having boxes and boxes of blades sitting on the shelves for substitutions because they offer so many colors,styles and finishes.
It is a matter of lining up the holes on the stirrup end of the iron(blade side)and the motor hub,if i remember correctly the CXL and MXL shared a common motor. That was about ten years back though so take that with a grain of salt.
Lastly getting the correct color of iron to match the fan shroud should be the final obstacle.

Blade pitch is a huge consideration in the efficiency of any fan,the fellow who started CM in his garage in Texas is a pretty savvy engineer.
They can use a steeper pitch than the big box store fans because the motors are so robust and they use automotive style bearings in the shaft rather than Oilites or bushings.
To pass their QA tests the owners randomly remove motors from the line and lock them statically in place which then sit energized for 24 hours before the motor is dissected and inspected for potential trouble points.
This is how they achieved the UL and CSA ratings(fun fact).

Good luck,hope this info helps.

[Kingofalldems]

19. Repubs do everything for business

[RobertEarl]

21. People just don't get it

If we reduce the amount of electricity we use, the big water boiling companies will have reduced income. If they have reduced income they won't be able to pay executives big paychecks.

Not only are the water boilers afraid of les$ water boiling, they see the solar industry sneaking up on them.

They may go extinct if people don't realize that using more electricity, NOW, is important to them. Save the water boilers! Use more electricity! Block out the sun!

this message brought to you by the Koch brothers; More for us is better for our companies.

[madrchsod]

24. hunter fans have the energy efficient star

under that act the federal government will fund grants to manufacturers to get their energy star rating on their products. plus most consumers look for the energy star stickers on products they buy.

does`t the bubble headed bleach blonde realize that just about anything can be fact checked on google?