At the beginning of every day, you’re probably already wondering how to stay cool through the night ahead, since there’s nothing worse than waking up sweaty in the morning. If you struggle with this problem, then you might think about getting a whole house fan.
Whole house fans (also known as attic fans, roof vents, solar-powered attic fans, and ridge vents) are designed to help reduce your cooling costs by using efficient natural ventilation to keep your home cooler in summer months when temperatures can really rise. It is typically installed into an existing gable or you can find models that attach to the side of your home. As it starts running during nighttime hours, hot air is exhausted outside through strategically placed attic vents throughout your attic space. So where does this cool air come from?
You see, whole house fans use the rising heat of the sun during daytime hours to naturally suck fresh air into your home and then exhaust hot air back outside through your attic area. As this happens over and over again, the air in your home is slowly pulled out and replaced with cooler outdoor air through open windows and doors. This process can drastically lower your costs because you no longer need an additional air conditioning system blasting away at full strength as long as you keep all those windows and doors closed throughout the day as usual. When temperatures become more moderate overnight, whole house fans automatically stop since there’s no more hot stale air left inside to remove. Not only does this allow for a comfortable sleep before evening hours arrive but it also saves you money by cutting down on the need for a second cooling system.
Additionally, you no longer have to worry about coming home to a sweltering hot house every day! If your house is running at full speed and you remembered to close all your windows and doors before going out for the night, then your whole house fan will work its magic to make sure everything feels nice and cool when you arrive back home. In fact, because of how well these fans can lower indoor temperatures without any extra help from air conditioners or fans, many local energy companies actually offer special rebates as an incentive for using them.
In order for a whole house fan to operate efficiently, it should be inspected regularly by a professional contractor familiar with its upkeep. Whole house fans use belt drive systems to power them so it is important that these belts are replaced once every year or so so the whole house fan can continue operating smoothly without skipping a beat. When a whole house fan needs repairs, this is usually indicative of an overworked condenser so contractors may recommend replacing the air conditioning unit as well as the whole house fan. When it’s time for a whole house fan to eventually be replaced, homeowners often invest in more powerful larger fans that move more air volume and are capable of cooling down larger homes.
