Do Solar Attic Fans Work Well

With the summer season upon us now is a good time to review an uncomfortable topic.

Do solar attic fans work well. Hot attics and why traditional exhaust fans don t work well enough to cool them off. Attic fans were majorly adopted before the modern air conditioning units came to existence. I installed a solar powered attic fan last year to see how well it would work. When is the best time to install the fan.

The installation went like clockwork. Last week we had some warm weather for the first time this year. To determine the number of cubic feet per minute needed for a power vent fan multiply the number of square feet in your attic by 0 7. Why attic fans don t work well and what to do instead.

Before considering solar attic fans you will want to think about how much direct sunlight your solar panel will receive each day. I had decided to do the work early in the morning while it was cool on the roof. They assisted a lot in creating a comfortable environment at home. If a cloud blocks the sunlight the fans slow or stop.

Here is some information so you can decide whether an attic fan is right for your home. Solar powered attic vent fans usually don t move as many cubic feet of air per minute cfm as hardwired fans. Whether or not an attic fan really works is a controversial subject. Manufacturers of attic fans as well as hvac companies will tell you otherwise.

For the attic fans to work at peak efficiency they need to be on a south facing roof slope if you live in the northern hemisphere. Danny s tests of solar attic fans showed that in florida where there s abundant solar energy yearly savings from installing two fans in a house with just over 1 000 square feet of air conditioned floor area amounted to only 460 kwh. Within an hour after installing it the sun hit the solar panel and the fan blades started to spin. Depending on what your utility charges that s about 40 per year.

Good insulation reduces fan effectiveness. Cloud cover dust and other obstructions are essential to review before you commit to this technology as well. Attic ventilation fans whether hard wired or powered by their own solar panels seem like a low cost and effective way to help keep your house cool. Energy professionals will tell you that they do more harm than good.

The attic fan can work with the modern air conditioning unit but only if you are in a closed room. Although there are a lot of factors to consider before installing it can function well. Natural light solar attic fans are manufactured using high impact photovoltaic solar panels to power the fan for free all during the day. A very hot problem.

The units are fully operation right out of the box and install in less than an hour. The downside of attic ventilation fans. Natural light solar attic fans are available in 4 model sizes to accommodate any attic space 12 24 36 or 60 watts.