Does Attic Ventilation Fan Help Cool House
Attic fans and whole house fans together can help with home ventilation but they serve different purposes.
Does attic ventilation fan help cool house. When an attic fan is operating during the hottest summer days the temperature in your attic can drop by as much as 50 degrees. As a certified licensed home inspector it is not correct to say too much ventilation is bad for an attic unless rain moisture is getting in. Vents do provide some passive cooling but not enough to truly reduce your indoor temperatures. Using a fan to blow hot air out of the attic doesn t address the radiant heat flow from the roof to the attic floor.
This prevents hot air from seeping into your home and driving up the temperature in the living space which reduces the load on your air conditioner. Most fans cannot keep up. Attic fans are intended to cool hot attics by drawing in cooler outside air from attic vents soffit and gable and pushing hot air to the outside. A whole house fan can be run from early evening to early morning effectively cooling the structure of your home using the cool free outside air.
If the attic fan increases the comfort level of the house it may be worth it. Intake vents located at the lowest part of the roof under. Much of that heat then conducts downward and finds its way into the house. If the attic fan keeps the house cool enough so that the owners leave the ac off there is almost certainly an energy benefit.
Even though an attic exhaust fan can incrementally lower the temperature of a very hot attic using a fan does not stop the source radiant heat. During the day any cooler air brought in by the fan will be heated up immediately by the surrounding structure. When combined however they form a perfect union. Venting a homes attic is a very important best building practices will say 50 at the ridge and 50 at the soffits unobstructed.
Note that they do not push air in the house but draw fresh air into the attic enabling your house to cool almost instantly. Attic fans are critical because they are designed to cool off the attic providing relief to the unbearable temperatures of your home. Yes installing an attic fan raises the electric bill. Attic ventilation fans help cool air your attic by pushing out the stifling hot air from inside the attic and bringing in cool air from outside.