Are Attic Fans Worth It

This is a solar panel supplying free electricity to the attic fan under the silver dome on the rear roof.

Are attic fans worth it.

Solar attic fans are not needed in brand new construction homes. Find out whether it is economical to run an attic fan. 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. 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.

Attic fans exhaust hot air from your attic to the outside. However there are certain circumstances where they can prove useful. It may be starting to sound like attic ventilation fans aren t worth the hassle and could cause more problems than they solve. 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.

So is it truly worth it to add a solar attic fan on an older home. Is a solar attic fan worth the cost. Of course if the attic fan isn t working correctly and is running all year long that would be a significant problem. Their energy efficiency is already extraordinary.

Attic ventilation fans could be effective if your home has. Do not use mechanical means electric attic fans. Much of that heat then conducts downward and finds its way into the house. Attic insulation that is less than r 19.

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. How an attic fan works. Instead of installing a fan just make sure your attic is well ventilated. If the attic fan increases the comfort level of the house it may be worth it.

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. 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. 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.

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.