Does A Solar Attic Fan Save Money

Instead of installing a fan just make sure your attic is well ventilated.

Does a solar attic fan save money. For example if you had a hip roof. Energy star rated solar attic fans still qualify for a federal tax credit of 30 percent of your purchase and installation costs. Because of the negative pressure inside the house that these fans create i don t feel that they save you money on electricity or cooling costs. Hip roofs are tough.

A single fan typically costs 300 to 600 plus an extra 100 to 150 each for installation. Using a whole house fan can result in a savings of over 300 each month of running a 3500w a c unit during the hottest part of summer. Here are some more benefits of getting a solar attic fan. My husband really thinks it s a great idea to buy a solar attic fan but i don t want to waste the money if it does little or nothing.

Bridgett w tampa fla. That means it could take between 10 15 years to get back to even with this investment. Even though electric attic fans can lower your air conditioning costs they cost more money to run than what they save you. Larger homes that need larger a c units can save even more.

But you ll likely need two fans to make an impact says danny. The only time i would ever use an attic fan is if i had a roof that was unusually difficult to vent passively. Attic fans cool the attic which helps cool the rooms just under it. It s usually better to take the money you would spend on an attic fan and instead spend it on increasing the insulation levels in the attic and the airtightness of the attic floor plane.

This product requires direct sunlight to operate. Meanwhile solar attic fans are free to run lower your electric bills and have few costs beyond purchase and installation. Attic fans are not recommended if you have central air conditioning because when you turn the fan on in the summer it depressurizes the attic but also reaches down into your house and starts drawing off air conditioned air effectively driving up your cooling costs. As hgtv points out cooling a 1 000 square foot home with solar attic fans can save you about 40 per year in a warm climate like florida.