Air conditioners work well for offices and homes in hotter areas of the country. However, for homes in more moderate climates, air conditioners are quite impractical. Not to mention that they’re a bit uneasy on the eyes. Air conditioning units take a lot of space, and use too much power for most homes. When all you need is an economical alternative to cool your house down on a warm day, try using a whole house fan.
Whole house fans do the same work as air conditioners, but are more energy efficient. Unlike tower-type air conditioners, whole house fans are built into the ceiling of a house. The fan is mounted into the attic or the ceiling, saving homeowners valuable space for decorations, cabinets, plants, and so on. Whole house fans work perfectly for small homes.
A whole house fan works by drawing warm air out of the house, letting cool air in through doors and windows. Warm air is lighter than cool air, so whole house fans are installed on ceilings to draw out the heat from inside the house. The warm air then escapes through the attic, and out through specially designed vents built into the roof. With whole house fans, your home can be kept cool and comfortable at the fraction of the cost of air conditioning.
Traditional house fans were noisy, difficult to install, and difficult to maintain. Today’s modern house fans are quieter, easier to install, and are more efficient at cooling down homes. Whole house fans also run cheaper than air conditioners, giving you the option to turn on your home’s air conditioning only when needed. Whole house fans are usually placed in areas where air circulates freely into other rooms, usually above hallways and stairwells.
Installing a whole house fan can be a do-it-yourself project done over a weekend, but some states require that fan products be installed by licensed electricians. For best results, have your electrician or contractor install your whole house fan for you.
For that breezy feel inside your home, a whole house fan may just do the trick for those hot summer days.