Whole house fans can make a great addition to your cooling and indoor air quality needs. Pulling fresh air in on cooler nights, especially for those of us lucky to live in the Sacramento area when the delta breeze kicks in. It’s so refreshing especially after a day cooped up with conditioned air.
The nicer thing is that they really give you a great bang for your buck. At a much lower upfront cost than a central air conditioner or even a ductless system, you can help supplement your indoor comfort. Costing pennies to run in comparison to a force air system equals a savings of up to 50% on your electric bill by not running the air conditioner as much.
How it works- open up the windows and turn your whole house fan on to high (at least to start). As the cooler outdoor air pulls in through the windows it exits out through the attic. In turn, cooling the attic air (and mass) off in the process by as much as 30 degrees. The longer the fan runs, the cooler the mass becomes. Then when you turn the whole house fan off, it will take longer for the air and mass to heat back up the next day!
The key to cooling your home is cooling the mass. We’re talking the furniture, the walls, the floors, all of it. So we need to run the air conditioning (or whole house fan) for a period of time or else the indoor air will heat back up quickly as that heat radiates off of the mass. A great way to accomplish this without using your air conditioner is to run a whole house fan when the outdoor temperature is the same or lower than you’re desired indoor temp.
Another great way to use your whole house fan is first thing in the morning when the air is still cool. I like to turn mine on for an hour or so as I get ready in the morning. When I am ready to leave, I turn the fan off, close up the windows and shut down all the drapes and blinds. This buttons up the home for the day while gone, holding onto that cooler air as long as possible causing the a/c to kick on later in the day than it would have without the fan.
Not to mention- burn toast? Cooking fish? You can use your whole house fan as a GIANT super powered exhaust fan, even for just a few short minutes to zap out the stink that sometimes happens when you cook. Just be sure to crack a window before turning it on!
We would like to point out there are two big draw backs of whole house fans.
They won’t be good for allergy sufferers. Although personally I’d rather deal with a few sniffles and have that fresh squeezed air in my home in the spring when my allergies tend to be at their peak.
The second issue could be security. Since the windows and doors are open, you do run the risk of someone gaining access into your home. Best to assess your personal comfort before committing to a whole house fan.
Curious if a whole house fan is right for you? At Perfection Home Systems we are proud to install the Quiet Cool whole house fans. Many of us here have them in our own homes. Come check out our showroom where we have a working display!
Have an old style of whole house fan? We can convert it to the Quiet Cool system! Give us a call at 916-481-0658 or drop us an email for more information.
