Whole House Fans
The Perfect, Affordable Way to Cool Homes

Whole house fans were first introduced in the 1950s. During that time, they were quite popular in the South. Now, these unique ceiling mount fans are regaining their popularity. These fans are often confused with an attic fan, but the two are not the same.

The reason why people confuse them is that these systems can be installed in the attic because their design requires them to be mounted on the highest ceiling in the house, but their cooling effect always affects the entire house, including the living areas.

Attic fans, on the other hand, are designed only to cool the attic. While whole house models also work both ways by cooling the attic, an attic fan cannot cool the downstairs living areas.

Whole house fans are very economical and efficient. This is because they don’t rely much on electricity to cool down an entire home; they simply pull cold air in from outside. Another reason is that a single fan, as implied, can already cool an entire house so there is no need to install air conditioning in every room.

How Whole House Fans Work

Whole house fans are especially designed fans that work by pulling the hot air from inside a house or a building so the interior will feel cooler. The way they work resembles that of an exhaust fan, only bigger and powerful enough to work through an entire structure.

When a whole house system drains the hot, stale air from the inside of a house, the air goes up to the attic, where it is forced out through the vents. This creates a negative pressure inside the house, which starts drawing the cooler air from outside into the house through the windows. Due to the way it works, these fans are capable of cooling down an entire house in just minutes. However, for them to work properly, the windows in the house must be open.

If a whole house ceiling mounted fan is used properly, it can reduce cooling costs by as much as 80%.

When Can You Use A Whole House Fan?

If the area you live in has a moderate or temperate climate, you don’t need to spend too much on cooling. In fact, you can save money by using a whole house fan, which can already cool down the entire house. Take note, however, that in colder climates, opening the windows and using your whole house fan can invite too much cold air and moisture into your home and may cause mold or ice dams.

Also, if you have a whole house fan, you can take advantage of cooler days by opening your windows and letting the colder air in as the fan sends the warmer air out.

Whole house fans are also great to use in the early mornings and the late evenings when the air outside is colder than the air inside.

What Using Whole House Fans Entail

There are many great reasons to use a whole house fan, but while you may be excited about using one, you should also pay some attention to what they mean for your home. To be able to use a whole house fan, you need to have a sufficient amount of attic venting that will allow the hot pressurized air to get out.

Aside from that, many traditional whole house fans require a lot of maintenance and are also pretty difficult to install. Installation of whole house fans involves joist cutting, framing, roof venting, and so on, so you need to pay higher installation costs.

There are, however, newer maintenance free, insulated whole house fans that come with automatic doors that close so that the attic and the living area will be sealed off from each other. These insulated models are recommended for colder climates because they can help alleviate or even prevent possible mold and moisture problems. They are also easier to install and to maintain.

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