Q & A - Whole House Fans

Whole house fans, how do they work?

Have you ever sat outside on a hot summer evening and enjoyed the cool air? Did you know there is a way to bring that cool air into your home? A Whole House Fan can do this. These fans are a very popular way to cool down the house in the evening. The high-performance fan is mounted in the attic and draws the warm stale air upwards into the attic space. It purges the house air and replaces it with cooler fresh outside air by drawing it through a couple of open windows.

“It cools down the house in just a few minutes for about ten cents an hour.” Says Karen Fields of the Fan Man in Sacramento. That does not take an engineer to figure out that, that can save a lot of dollars in energy not needing to use the AC in the evening. Not only is it cooling the home air but as it works it is pushing cooler air into the attic and forcing the very hot air out of the roof vents. Of course, proper ventilation is required for the system to work properly. A side benefit is keeping the attic cooler save the destructive heat from damaging the roof shingles and felt.

Did you know that an attic on a 100-degree day can reach 160 degrees? I personally have cut ventilation holes out in the hot summer months and it is amazing how hot the air is that blasts you when the plug is removed.

Always use a licensed contractor to do home improvements and get a permit for projects like this. There may be some framing and electrical that is needed with a possible roof vent or two having to be installed.

Having a remote control or setting the system by a timer before you arrive home, this is a great way to save energy and enjoy fresh cool air in your home.

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