If you have a whole house fan, you know how beneficial they can be to help with your electric bills in the summer. We’ve created a list of our favorite hacks for using your whole house fan to its fullest potential.
- Make sure windows are open before turning on the fan. Also if you have an open fireplace that burns wood, check that your flue is closed. Otherwise you could have a big mess on your hands if you inadvertently turn the fan on without first opening windows!
- Turn the fan on once the outdoor temperature is about the same as what you want your indoor temperature. For instance, if you usually set your air conditioning to 78° when you are home; turn the a/c off, open the windows, and turn on your whole house fan when it becomes 78°-80° outside. The air movement will make it feel a few degrees cooler than the actual temperature.
- Start the fan on “high” and run it until you are comfortable or if it’s a warmer evening, run it until you go to bed. Drop the fan speed to “low” and let it continue to run. If it is a cooler night, we recommend only running the fan a few hours or you may wake up in the middle of the night chilly! Those warmer nights? Let it run all night.
- For stronger air flow, only open windows in the room you are actively in. The fewer windows open, the stronger the airflow.
- Cooling the mass is more important than cooling the air. This is why we recommend running the fan longer than just until the air feels comfortable. We want the physical house to cool down too. The furniture, the walls, the furnishings. We want the attic to cool down as well. The framing, the roofing, the insulation.
- Pre-cool your home in the mornings. If you didn’t run the fan all night, open some windows and turn the fan on while you get ready for work or school. When you are ready to leave, turn the fan off, close the windows, and pull the shades down tight. This will help the house not heat up as quickly during the day.
- If you are cooking something stinky, think of your whole house fan as a mega exhaust fan! Even in the middle of winter I have been known to crack the kitchen window and turn on the whole house fan when I’ve burned something or if I’m cooking fish. It is a whole lot more powerful than the hood vent above your stove!
Overall, the investment of a whole house fan offers much more than just another whole home cooling source. Have Perfection Home Systems install a whole house fan for you this summer. Give us a call at 916-481-0658 or email us here for a quote.