By Mark J. Donovan
Attic fans are an excellent supplement to home air conditioners and are ideal in areas where temperatures regularly exceed 80 degrees fahrenheit. Attic fans by themselves can reduce the temperature in your upstairs by 10 degrees in the summer. Attic fans, when used in conjunction with air conditioners can reduce your cooling costs by as much as 25-30%.
Attic fans are one of the best alternatives for quickly lowering your homes temperature. An attic in the summer can reach 80 - 150 degrees fahrenheit. This super heated air can back up in the upstairs of your home. An attic fan works by drawing this super heated hot air out of the attic to the outside, thus creating less work for the air conditioning system.
Attic fans can also extend the life of your roof shingles by eliminating the excessive heat they’re exposed to via super heated air in the attic.
Attic fans are usually mounted on the roofs of homes and are controlled by a thermostat. They automatically turn on and off based on pre-set temperature settings in the attic.
Traditionally installing an attic fan requires framing, roofing and wiring, however there are now solar powered attic fans on the market that eliminate the wiring aspect of the job. The solar panel sits literally on top of the attic fan cover and produces enough electricity to power the attic fan. Like traditional attic fans, the solar attic fans are controlled via a thermostat so no human control is required.
Attic fans are normally mounted on either the back of the home’s roof, a couple of feet from the roof peak, or on the gable end of a home.
For longevity, it is best to purchase all metal fans with screens to prevent animals and birds from finding their way into your attic. In addition, make sure the attic fan comes with a firestat sensor that automatically shuts the attic fan off in the event of very high temperatures (e.g. in the case of a home fire).
Attic fans are a great way to lower your cooling bills, so this year think ahead before the next summer heat wave hits.
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