It may be starting to sound like attic ventilation fans aren t worth the hassle and could cause more problems than they solve.
Attic fan worth it.
Attic fans are not recommended if you have central air conditioning because when you turn the fan on in the summer it depressurizes the attic but also reaches down into your house and starts drawing off air conditioned air effectively driving up your cooling costs.
With an attic fan many attics have a temperature that is the same as the outside air or just a few degrees warmer.
So you can probably expect your total expenditures to be around 700 800 for a full install.
An attic fan is installed on the slanted side of your roof or on one of the gable sides of your attic.
An attic fan can be mounted directly on your roof or mounted to a gable on your roof.
Using a fan to blow hot air out of the attic doesn t address the radiant heat flow from the roof to the attic floor.
If there isn t enough venting in the attic for the attic fan to pull air from it will start pulling air from the home s interior through the wall cavities and drywall ceilings.
Trying to solve the heat gain problem in your attic by using a fan is like lying out at the beach with a fan blowing over you and thinking you re not.
Of course if the attic fan isn t working correctly and is running all year long that would be a significant problem.
These fans are designed to remove excess heat from your attic which in theory is supposed to lessen the load on the air conditioning in your home.
This is a solar panel supplying free electricity to the attic fan under the silver dome on the rear roof.
However there are certain circumstances where they can prove useful.
Shingles will cup and become ineffective putting your roof at serious risk for water damage.
The fan blades spin but they don t lower the attic.
Attic ventilation fans could be effective if your home has.
If the attic fan keeps the house cool enough so that the owners leave the ac off there is almost certainly an energy benefit.
The attic fans needs to have a minimum amount of makeup air or intake air which is the vent area that the attic fan pulls air from.
Based on the averages i put in see my screenshot it will take 4 7 years for me to theoretically make the return on investment of an attic breeze solar attic fan.
Find out whether it is economical to run an attic fan.
Much of that heat then conducts downward and finds its way into the house.
How an attic fan works.
Attic fans exhaust hot air from your attic to the outside.
Is a solar attic fan worth the cost.
The attic fan is controlled by its own thermostat that automatically turns it on and off when needed.
This is important because excess heat in the attic will cause damage to roofing material and to the home s siding.
If the attic fan increases the comfort level of the house it may be worth it.
Instead of installing a fan just make sure your attic is well ventilated.
