Do Attics Need Fans

Purchasing an electric or solar attic fan may not provide the savings that homeowners expect.

Do attics need fans. On the other the florida solar energy center university of central florida found that attics with nominal natural ventilation and r 19 ceiling insulation do not need powered vent fans as it turns out because the insulation slows heat from moving down into the living space homes with well insulated attics don t see a significant reduction in their cooling load when they add attic ventilation fans. For both fans to work well they need large exhaust openings in the roof for the moving air to exit. Whole house fans take all the hot air from the house and move it up into the attic and out through the attic vents. Powered attic ventilators or attic fans just as they sound are designed explicitly for placing or installing in the attics.

By constantly moving the air around the fan keeps the air in your home from going stale and smelling musty. The main work of an attic fan is to regulate the heat level of the attic by removing hot air out of the attic and pushing it outside providing needed ventilation. That paper notes data measured at fsec and elsewhere show that attics with nominal natural ventilation and at least r 19 ceiling insulation do not need powered vent fans. Video of the day.

Whole house fans need windows and doors open and attic fans need lots of soffit vents to suck. The two main types of attic fans whole house fans are primarily designed to provide fresh air for the occupants of a house. Adding roof ridge vents can reduce summer air conditioning costs prevent roof mildew and rot and keep your roof in better shape longer. Because of this they require significant ventilation in the attic.

Whole house fans also serve the purpose of lowering the temperature in a home. Such fans cost more to operate than they save in reduced cooling costs so they are not recommended.