Need Ventilation? Whole-House Fans vs. Attic Fans for Your Home – Sobieski Services | DE, NJ, PA, MD

Need Ventilation? Whole-House Fans vs. Attic Fans for Your Home

Your attic can make a big contribution to optimum household ventilation in two ways. An attic fan to move hot air out of a broiling attic in summer is vital to take the load off air conditioning equipment cooling living spaces below. When it’s cool enough to turn off the A/C, a whole-house fan installed in the ceiling pulls cool outside air into the home and exhausts it through attic vents. One attic—two very different fans. Here’s what sets them apart:

Attic fans

On a hot summer day, temperatures inside an unconditioned attic can soar to temperatures upwards of 150 degrees. This oven-like environment conducts heat through the ceiling and spikes temperatures in rooms below as much as 10 degrees. Your air conditioner runs longer to offset the heat gain, resulting in higher utility bills. In addition, acute attic temps can damage wooden structural members, cause roof leaks and zap the coolness out of conditioned air circulating through ductwork routed through the attic.

A powered attic fan mounted at the peak of the roof boosts passive air ventilation, pulling air into soffit vents down near the eaves and circulating it up and out of the attic through roof vents. Attic temperatures can be reduced by as much as 50 degrees. Whole-house fans Installed in the ceiling, powerful whole-house fans induce a strong draft, pulling large volumes of air through open windows on cool nights and mornings. Household air is drawn out of living spaces and pushed into the attic, flushing heat and condensation out of the attic through soffit and roof vents.

Because a whole-house fan consumes only about 10 percent of the kilowatt hours of electricity that a typical central A/C uses, it’s a viable alternative to air conditioning when outdoor temps are suitable, plus it comes with the added bonus of high-volume fresh air ventilation throughout the home. Whether you’re looking for attic or whole-house ventilation, Sobieski Services provides the technology to meet your needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC and plumbing systems).

Image Credit: Ryk Neethling

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