How solar attic fans in florida differ from full house fans.
Do attic fans work in florida.
Temp 92 f at 5pm.
Temp 84f at 5pm.
An experimental study was carried out during the summer to investigate the natural cooling potential of use of a whole house fan in central florida s hot and humid climate.
If the air conditioner is working at the same time as the attic fan cool air from your living space is being wasted in your attic seeping through the attic access panel drywall and holes in the interior wall top plates where plumbing pipes and electrical wires feed into the attic.
This air is then exhausted through the fan to the outside.
One of the leading causes for fires.
After attic fan installation ac still off during day.
How an attic fan works.
One static vent style is the turbine vent which uses wind to power its enclosed fan all it takes is a light breeze to rotate the blades and suck heat out of the attic view example on the home.
Ideally this will lower the high temperatures that have built up in your attic.
Find out whether it is economical to run an attic fan.
Before the advent of vapor compression air conditioning the use of whole house fans was a popular means to enhancing natural ventilation to achieve greater comfort in hotread the rest.
On the other the florida solar energy center university of central florida found that attics with nominal natural ventilation and r 19 ceiling insulation do not need powered vent fans as it turns out because the insulation slows heat from moving down into the living space homes with well insulated attics don t see a significant reduction in their cooling load when they add attic ventilation fans.
Instead of installing a fan just make sure your attic is well ventilated.
When the university of central florida s florida solar energy center tested homes they found that air leaking from a home s duct system can cause negative pressures within the home s interior when the air.
Best ventilation is open soffit venting to a open vented ridge vent.
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.
A whole house fan is usually installed on the attic floor near the center of your house.
More than 50 of the attic fans i see do not work and have current still live to the motor.
During workdays would leave air conditioner off when leaving in the morning.
The attic fan kept my house cooler by 8f compared to pre fan installation days.
This was observed on numerous days following the installation.
Do not use mechanical means electric attic fans.
Depending on these things and a few other factors it is possible that your solar attic fan can save you enough on the cost of utilities to have paid for itself in as little as one or two summers of use.
Fresh air is pulled in from your soffits and or roof vent creating a draft through your attic.
In the late evening or early morning the fan is turned on to exhaust hot air from the house.
Some experience 30 lower cooling costs by using an attic fan.
Attic fans exhaust hot air from your attic to the outside.
