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Homeowners in hot climates need to understand the difference between whole-house fans and powered attic ventilators
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding attic fans. Here at GBA, we regularly receive e-mails from homeowners with questions about attic fans: What’s the purpose of the fan in my attic? How often should I run it? Do I need a bigger fan?
Before addressing these recurring questions, it’s important to define our terms. First, we need to distinguish between three different types of ventilation fans.The most common kind of residential ventilation fan is… (Click here to continue reading this article)
POSTED ON OCT 26 2012 BY MARTIN HOLLADAY, GBA ADVISOR
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3 Comments
What really is the difference between the two of them? can you please explain it further and make some more illustrations?
Great question @KaimillaBrown . The clear winner is a whole house fan. Here’s a summary of the differences and the weaknesses/benefits of the two:
“I’ve read that the current thinking on attic fans is that they simply pull the cold, air-conditioned air out of the house through gaps in the ceiling. And you pay for the electricity to for it to do that.”
Only if there is not enough air flow INTO the attic. The typical passive ventilation area is NOT designed to operate with a fan.
If there is not enough air flow into the attic from outside the fan CAN depressurize the attic and pull conditioned air from the house.
Attic fans
“They are to be used when the outside temperature is lower than inside. They work by pulling in cool air through doors or windows and pushing up and out the warmer air inside through your attic ventilation.”
That is a whole house fan, NOT an attic vent fan.
Attic vent fans attempt to pull outside air into the attic and remove the superheated air in the attic. Since the heat gain across the ceiling into the interior is directly driven by temperature difference (delta T), keeping the attic at a lower outside temperature than solar loading on the roof heats the attic to is worthwhile.
The biggest weakness is usually inadequate air flow into the attic from undersized soffit vents. They are often sized for passive air circulation, not for use with a fan.
Whole house fans Quiet Cool Fans Can Cut Your AC Cost 50%-90% Our whole house fans draw cooler outside air in through your open windows which lowers the room temperature by as much as 10 to 20 degrees.
Your open windows serve as intake vents, which allow you to control the air flow by selecting how many or which windows you open. Moving air, blowing through the whole house cools the occupants. The cooling breeze can lower the skin temperature by 5 to 10 degrees F. The fresh, cooler air, after passing through the living space, is forced into the attic which pushes the hot attic air out through the attic vents. This can lower the attic air temperature by as much as 40 degrees F.
Hope that helps you in making a decision. Thanks for the comment 🙂
I am glad to hear that having a fan in your home and attic can help lower cooling bills. I am always looking for ways to save money on my heat and electric bill. It gets really expensive out were I live and if I can find a way to be more efficient, I am going to do it.
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