When the heat of the summer sets in some of our clients want to know if having fans in their homes will make enough of a difference so that they don’t have to use an air conditioner or they could potentially use them less often. We recommend evaluating attic fans and whole house fans as options to help keep your home cooler during the summer.
First, let’s talk about attic fans. Attic fans are installed in your attic and are designed to pull hot air out of the attic and replace it with cooler air from the outside. If you have more than one floor in your home, you are essentially helping your air conditioner have a better chance at cooling the upstairs portions of your house. In order to have an attic fan, a vent has to be cut into the side of the house that opens to the outside. Attic fans typically have their own thermostat so it runs automatically when the attic reaches a certain temperature. Attic fans can certainly help cool single story houses as well thus decreasing the amount of time that your air conditioner needs to run to keep the house cool. Typically attic fans are used in conjunction with another cooling system.
One thing about attic fans that you should keep in mind is the installation. You want to make sure that your new attic fan is properly installed and sealed appropriately. If there isn’t a great seal in place the attic fan will actually suck out your cool, air conditioned air right outside, thus defeating the whole purpose. Our recommendation is to have a professional install your attic fan.
Whole house fans are another option to consider but they work quite a bit differently. Whole house fans (as the name implies) don’t focus on pulling hot air out of the attic. They are used to cool the entire house. Installation requires a combination of vents on the roof, a fan and then covered vent (usually with shutters) somewhere inside the home, typically on the top floor. When you are ready to cool your house, all you have to do is open some of the windows and then you flip a switch to turn on the fan. The hot air from inside the house is pushed out the windows and the cooler air is brought inside. Some people prefer to just open the basement windows to get the coolest air circulated throughout the house. Whole house fans work well in Colorado because we have cool evenings with low humidity. Most people find that they can cool their house with a whole house fan and don’t need an air conditioner.
If you have any questions about how to cool your home more efficiently this summer by using fans, please call Dan Schmied at 720-876-7166 or email him directly at [email protected]. Estimates are always free!
