Are Attic Fans Worth It

So is it truly worth it to add a solar attic fan on an older home.

Are attic fans worth it.

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. However there are certain circumstances where they can prove useful. 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 the attic fan increases the comfort level of the house it may be worth it.

Attic ventilation fans could be effective if your home has. Do not use mechanical means electric attic fans. Or is it better to abide by proven methods of insulating a home and increasing attic ventilation through soffits ridge vents or offset ridge vents. It may be starting to sound like attic ventilation fans aren t worth the hassle and could cause more problems than they solve.

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. Of course if the attic fan isn t working correctly and is running all year long that would be a significant problem. Much of that heat then conducts downward and finds its way into the house. 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.

An attic fan is installed on the slanted side of your roof or on one of the gable sides of your attic. Attic insulation that is less than r 19. How an attic fan works. Instead of installing a fan just make sure your attic is well ventilated.

Is a solar attic fan worth the cost. Attic fans exhaust hot air from your attic to the outside. If the attic fan keeps the house cool enough so that the owners leave the ac off there is almost certainly an energy benefit. Find out whether it is economical to run an attic fan.

The fan blades spin but they don t lower the attic. Solar attic fans are not needed in brand new construction homes. As a certified licensed home inspector it is not correct to say too much ventilation is bad for an attic unless rain moisture is getting in. Venting a homes attic is a very important best building practices will say 50 at the ridge and 50 at the soffits unobstructed.

Their energy efficiency is already extraordinary.