Attic Fan Vs Insulation

Loose fill or batt the common term for blanket insulation.

Attic fan vs insulation.

In most cases it is not difficult to air seal and insulated an attic. The alternative would be to install an attic fan that would draw cooler outside air into the attic while expelling the hot air. Insulation or lack of it air leaks soffit vents the stack effect ridge vents attic fans recessed lights pull down stairs radiant barriers and all the ducts and or hvac equipment frequently located in attics. During the day any cooler air brought in by the fan will be heated up immediately by the surrounding structure.

Without any air movement temperatures in the attic soar in summer and plunge in winter. The downside of attic ventilation fans. Most fans cannot keep up. This complexity is easy to appreciate when you consider all the attic features that factor into energy performance.

Heat conduction from the attic to the house is proportional to the temperature difference divided by the r value. If we assume that the outside air is 10 f warmer than the desired. Lowering attic temps it is not an accurate statement to say that if you have good insulation you don t care what the attic temperature is. For diy attic insulation you ve got two choices.

Even though an attic exhaust fan can incrementally lower the temperature of a very hot attic using a fan does not stop the source radiant heat. Instead of spending money on radiant barriers attic fans or levels of insulation above an r 40 investing duct sealing and shade screens would make more sense. One static vent style is the turbine vent which uses wind to power its enclosed fan all it takes is a light breeze to rotate the blades and suck heat out of the attic view example on the home. Good insulation reduces fan effectiveness.

However the utility of attic ventilation fans is actually quite a controversial topic. Both can be added to uninsulated attics or layered over existing material. Once you ve decided which type is best for you examine the material options and prices to home in on the right product.