Are Attic Fans Worth It

If the attic fan increases the comfort level of the house it may be worth it.

Are attic fans worth it.

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. Is a solar attic fan worth the cost. Venting a homes attic is a very important best building practices will say 50 at the ridge and 50 at the soffits unobstructed. 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.

Of course if the attic fan isn t working correctly and is running all year long that would be a significant problem. The fan blades spin but they don t lower the attic. 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. 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.

Find out whether it is economical to run an attic fan. Do not use mechanical means electric attic fans. Attic ventilation fans could be effective if your home has. So is it truly worth it to add a solar attic fan on an older home.

It may be starting to sound like attic ventilation fans aren t worth the hassle and could cause more problems than they solve. How an attic fan works. This is a solar panel supplying free electricity to the attic fan under the silver dome on the rear roof. Much of that heat then conducts downward and finds its way into the house.

Instead of installing a fan just make sure your attic is well ventilated. Attic insulation that is less than r 19. 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. If the attic fan keeps the house cool enough so that the owners leave the ac off there is almost certainly an energy benefit.

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. Solar attic fans are not needed in brand new construction homes. Attic fans exhaust hot air from your attic to the outside. 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.

Their energy efficiency is already extraordinary.