What Is An Attic Fan?

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There are several types of fans that can be mounted in your ceiling or attic. However, most are simply ventilation fans that are designed to circulate existing air throughout a house. These are not attic fans.

Attic fans (also called whole-house fans) are designed to evacuate warm air out of your home while drawing in fresh, cool air from the outside. They use as little as 10% to 15% of the power required for a typical central air-conditioning unit. They have the added advantage of blowing a lot of dust and small aerial debris out of the house while limiting what comes back in.

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As we know, heat rises. This creates upper stories that are hot and lower stories that are cooler (if your thermostat is on your upper story, it is going to work twice as hard as it would be if placed in your lower story). Attic fans are a greener, more economical alternative to air conditioning. They suck the hot air out of your home while replacing it with cool, fresh, air from the outside. Most of us sleep better when breathing fresh outdoor air.

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How Do I Know If An Attic Fan Is Right For Me?
If you are living in a fairly new home with state-of-the-art central heat and air, an attic fan may help you a lot. If you are not in a contemporary home and live in an area where the nighttime temperatures usually drop below 80⁰ F. (such as the chronically hot Santa Clarita Valley), then attic fans can really save you some money. The attic fan controls the temperature in your attic and makes your AC work up to 30% less than it works without it. If you live in a condominium it is a different story.

We recommend, before thinking about a second mortgage for installing solar panels...try the attic fan.