How to cool your house with attic fans.

When I moved into my house I was surprised to find an attic fan installed - it was very useful and when we left the attic door open there was a noticeable and pleasant breeze throughout the whole house.

When it broke I didn't replace it immediately, and I was very surprised at how high my electric bills were as we were using the central air far more than we had been.

Do you need an attic fan?

As the summers seem to be getting hotter every year (Global Warming perhaps?) and it is becoming increasingly more expensive to cool your house using traditional air conditioning, what alternatives are there?

Using ceiling fans can help to move and circulate the cooler air, reducing the burden on the AC. Covering windows so that the sunlight does not heat the house is also another great trick and often overlooked.

However, one of the most overlooked ways of adding ventilation to a house is the attic fan. Attic fans are larger than ceiling fans and generally are a lot more efficient. It will cool down the attic area, and therefore allow the hot air in the house rise faster and therefore dissipate –this has the effect of cooling the whole house down, reducing the need for ceiling fans and air conditioning.

What are some problems with attic fans?

Attic fans are noisy, especially if you leave the door open to the attic allowing for better flow of air – it’s therefore probably worth investing in high quality attic fans that are not only more efficient but also a lot quieter – you’ll end up saving money and reducing the noise pollution at the same time.

Probably the biggest concern for most householders is the initial investment – the fan combined with the vents can be expensive, but the biggest cost could be installation. I’d always advice that you get a professional electrician in to install one and this can increase the overall cost dramatically. Having said that, in the long term you should find your summer electric bills, with some estimates saying you could reduce your bill by up to 40%

What types of fans are there?

The idea of an attic fan is that it increases the flow of air throughout the whole house – you keep your windows open and let the attic fan do its work. There are several fans available, and a lot depends on the size of your house and what noise level you desire – there are options for solar fans, but these are obviously very expensive.

If you can afford it, I’d suggest you get an expert in to give you proper advice, however if you’re a handyman (or handywoman) there are plenty of online outlets that will sell you the ideal fan.

Main Benefits of an Attic Fan

Having a fan mounted in the attic is really a great way to reduce your electric bills. As heat rises then the attic soon becomes one of the hottest places in your house; this means that any additional heat that is in your house will build-up as it has no place to go, thus your whole house will gradually become warmer.

As this heat builds up, your air conditioning will work harder to keep cooling the air thus increasing your summer electric bills. Therefore it is essential that you find away to alleviate this by removing the trapped heat in the attic – the best way of doing this is by installing a fan. This allows the trapped heat to be removed quickly and easily and creates air-flow throughout the house that will make it cooler without putting the burden entirely on the AC.