Protect Your Home with an Attic Fan
If you own a home with an attic, temperatures can get as high as 150°F up there in the summer. That intense heat leaks into the home below to raise your cost of cooling. While your air conditioning thermostat may be set in the 70s for your comfort down below, the temperature at your ceiling may measure in the 90s. You’ll be paying for the air conditioner to cool down the ceiling as well as your living space.
An attic fan can reduce attic temperatures by as much 50°-60°F. Studies have shown that this can reduce your air conditioning bill by as much as 30%. It also helps prevent your floors from warping and the rafters and shingles on your home from deterioration.
Air circulation keeps moisture from condensing, which can ruin rafters and floors and soak insulation. In winter, heat and humidity from inside the house can rise up into a cold attic. This not only loses heat, the humidity wafting up into the attic will dampen and create frost on the wood framing of your house, eventually leading to mold and rot.
Compared with your air conditioning system, fans are simple devices that don’t require a condenser and evaporator. A fan simply draws in cooler outside air to replace the stifling air that gets trapped in your sweltering attic. The fans have sensors that enable you to set the temperature at which they automatically shut on and off. In summertime a fan will typically start operating when attic temperature reaches 100 degrees or so.
Most attic fans run on conventional household electricity. Yet some homes can be fitted with a solar-powered attic fan that costs virtually nothing to operate. Solar attic fans have few moving parts, no tricky wiring and battery storage that enables them to continue operating for several days even when the sun doesn’t shine. Solar attic fans are so quiet you will not notice them running and they are built to tough weatherproofing standards.
A solar attic fan is an ideal way to experience the savings and comfort made possible by solar energy. An existing electrical attic fan can be changed out to a solar-powered unit without much trouble, and with considerable energy savings. Whether you prefer a conventional electrical fan or a solar-powered unit, if you want to protect your home while lowering your energy bill, give the Certified Comfort Experts at Western Heating & Air Conditioning a call at (801) 224-8899 . We’ll evaluate your circumstances and offer the options that best suit your needs and your budget.
