Simply put, when the air outside a home is cooler than the air inside, whole house fans draw that cool air into the house and push the warm air outside. They can be installed in homes with or without air conditioning systems.
Whole house fans were the only way that homes in the early 1900’s could be cooled. Even though air conditioning was invented in 1907, most homes didn’t have it installed until the middle of the century. Whole house fans have been around for over one hundred years and still make sense to install in homes today.
How Does a Whole House Fan Work?
Whole house fans are usually installed in an attic and operate on the physics of pressure. They pull air into the house, creating negative pressure inside the home. In homes where there’s an HVAC system, the air drawn in from the outside gets cooled by the system and distributed throughout the home via ductwork. Whether there’s an HVAC system or not, the negative pressure caused by the pulled-in air creates a build-up of air pressure in the attic. The increasing pressure looks for a way to escape and finds outlets in attic vents and soffits. As it escapes, it forces hot attic air to the outside.
Whole house fans work when an air conditioning system is off, as well. So long as the temperature outside is cooler than indoor air, a whole house fan system will work.
Why You Might Want to Get a Whole House Fan
- If you run a whole house fan instead of an air conditioner, you’ll benefit from lower energy bills
- Whole house fans last a long time, especially if maintained
- Whole house fans are ecofriendly because they don’t draw much electricity and they don’t use refrigerants
- Whole house fans keep air circulating continuously, so it stays fresh
Will an Attic Fan Do the Same Job?
No. An attic fan doesn’t draw air inside. It just expels hot attic air to the outside. By forcing hot air outside, an attic fan will have an impact on temperatures inside the house, but not as much as a whole house fan does. If it’s cool enough outside, a whole house fan can cool down a house noticeably in just an hour.
Burney Electricians Install Whole House Fans
Thinking of getting a whole house fan? Call us at (404) 369-1063. Our experienced electricians understand the space requirements for a whole house fan to work optimally. They will take your attic measurements, install additional attic vents (if necessary), and install the dedicated circuit wiring to support the fan. Burney electricians will get your whole house fan installed and working properly.
