I have already replaced the craigslist ceiling fan that I installed for my brother’s visit. There is a LEED requirement to install Energy Star ceiling fans and I was hoping to find a deal on a Haiku L series for the master bedroom. The Craigslist fan only had one speed because it did not have a pull chain or a remote. Soon after I installed it I found an L series in an eBay ad. I made an offer that seemed reasonable given that a new fan from the company is $575 with free shipping and a new fan from Amazon is $600 in black. However the company site does not offer the dark brown blades and Amazon charges $675 for the black/cocoa combination. I saved about $250.
Ebay ad for Haiku fan
The ad didn’t show all the components but it listed them as included. The only thing not listed was the wifi module but one did come with the fan. I read a review that explained fans from the manufacturer do not include the wifi module unless the Sense Me wall control is ordered but fans from Amazon do include the wifi module.
Box contents
The Haiku L series is not an Energy Star “most efficient” for 2017, however it is among the top performers on the Energy Star list. It comes in just under the other Haiku models H and I and there are only four other 52″ fans that have a medium speed of more than 400.
Haiku Fan Efficiency
That puts it at about four times the 2012 Energy Star standard. At low speed it is just under 4 times the base for energy star efficiency. The Energy Guide lists the fan at 17.7 watts per cfm at high speed. Airflow at high speed is 5276 cfm. It is also the most energy efficient fan rated with an LED light. The light efficiency is 105, the highest of the LED fixtures. It is rated at 20 watts.
The fan took some time to put together but the instructions were clear and the only part that didn’t work for me right away was a plug for the light diffuser that needed to show up in the canopy for the diffuser ring to plug into and snap on. I had to undo the screws a couple of times to get the plug lined up correctly. It seemed odd that the screws in the canopy were square end screws instead of phillips. All the tools for installation were included with the fan so I used the allen wrench provided but they were more difficult to align and install. It must be some security issue.
For our ceiling height and angle, I used the longer of the two rods provided with the fan. There is a choice of hanging rod, either 6″ or 11″. The fan was much lighter than the romanesque one. At only 11 lbs. I was able to lift the fan body into the hanger myself. Wiring was very simple except that I have two hot wires and two switches to control a separate fan and light. But the electronics control the light on the Haiku so only one switch is needed and I just capped off the extra wire.
Fan at rest
Once it was installed, I used the remote immediately to start the fan and turn on the light in both dim and bright modes. Both the fan speed and light brightness are variable with plus and minus buttons to set them.
The modern style looks fine with the ranch style furniture. I like the airfoil design and the fan is very quiet except for the noise of the air movement on high. I turned the speed down and the high speed is probably not ever necessary in our bedroom.
Airfoil blades
I installed the Haiku OS app and was able to update the firmware right away. Then I worked with some of the settings. I can also pair it with the Nest thermostat and the Amazon Echo to give it speech commands to turn on and set up the light and the fan.
The fan is extremely quiet except for the rush of air on high speed. I have used the “Whoosh” setting that varies the speed of the fan for a more natural breeze feeling. I’m impressed with the fan and don’t mind all the plastic parts. These are made in Kentucky which seems like an anomaly among such products and another great feature.
Fan in Motion