LEXINGTON, Ky. — Big Ass Fans is putting a name to the hidden toll documented across industrial worksites: the “Heat Tax,” an unbudgeted operational drain that impacts worker judgment, lowers output, increases turnover, and erodes bottom-line profitability when facilities run hot.
Field research from the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Sydney demonstrates how targeted industrial air movement directly mitigates heat burdens in unconditioned spaces where full-building air conditioning is impractical.
Researchers monitored 30 factory workers across regular shifts at two manufacturing facilities in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, alternating periods during which industrial fans were running with other times during which fans were turned off. Here’s what they found:
• When industrial fans were operating, workers reported conditions comparable to working in an environment 10°F cooler.
• A large majority of the workers, 79%, reported feeling more effective at their jobs with active industrial air movement.
• One hundred percent of surveyed workers said having industrial fans running in their workplace was important.
“Field studies in active manufacturing environments are rare because they’re hard to execute,” said Charlie Huizenga, a founding researcher at the Center for the Built Environment. “By monitoring workers under real Louisiana conditions, we found that air movement significantly reduced discomfort and perceived effort.”
According to internal market analysis by Big Ass Fans, fewer than 20% of U.S. industrial facilities maintain conditioned air, leaving millions of square feet exposed to extreme summer temperatures, during which labor capacity can fall by 30% to 50% during peak heat spikes. Workplace research shows overall productivity drops 1% to 2% for every degree indoor temperatures climb above 75°F. While full-building HVAC is cost-prohibitive for large open plants, high-volume air speed solutions operate on 20 to 30 times less energy than conventional air conditioning, limiting energy use while closing the productivity gap.
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“When work feels harder and employees feel less effective, the entire operation carries that burden,” said Leah Larson, CEO of Big Ass Fans. “This study proves how direct industrial air movement protects worker well-being and productivity on the floor.”
The study took place over two three-week periods during the spring and summer of 2025 — first in late May and early June, and again in August. Researchers tracked environmental and physiological conditions alongside subjective surveys. Oral temperature and heart rate increased with ambient temperature, regardless of industrial fan status. Sweat rates, however, were lower with fans running during the May and June study period and during August mornings.
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