Is a whole house fan the same as an attic fan?

An attic fan is installed in the attic and blows hot air out through a roof-level or gable vent. Outside air is pulled through roof and soffit ¹ vents, keeping the attic cooler. Even though it is also in the attic, a whole house fan is installed in the ceiling of the home, usually in the ceiling of a central hallway.

In respect to this, do attic fans make a difference?

Attic fans are particularly unknown. They are smaller, do not directly blow cool air, and are seen as accessories instead of necessities. They do, however, make a big difference in any home for a relatively low price compared to whole house fans, air conditioners, and even ceiling fans.

Likewise, is a whole house fan a good idea? When the conditions are right, cooling your home with a whole house fan consumes less energy than most air conditioning systems. It's efficient and effective. In most homes, you're better off not having a whole house fan at all and just running your air conditioner instead.

In this manner, does a whole house fan cool the attic?

In a nutshell, whole house fans are designed to run after sundown, using cool night air to ventilate and cool your entire living space. Attic fans are designed to run on hot sunny days to clear super-heated air from your attic. Both can be worthwhile, but they do different jobs.

When should you use an attic fan?

An attic fan can be used to cool down your living space any time the air outside is cooler than the air in your home. An attic fan pulls air in through open windows and doors while pushing hot air out of the home through attic vents.

39 Related Question Answers Found

Can you run an attic fan with the AC on?

Essentially, you can use your AC unit and your whole house fan together. However, if the air outdoors is cooler than the air indoors, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to turn your air conditioning system on.

Where should attic fans be placed?

A whole-house fan is usually installed on the attic floor near the center of your house. In the late evening or early morning, the fan is turned on to exhaust hot air from the house. Cooler outdoor air enters through open windows, lowering the indoor temperature.

How do I remove heat from my attic?

Install electric ventilators and attic fans, which remove hot air from an attic. They have thermostats that turn the fan on at a recommended preset temperature of 100-110 degrees. Alternatively, install passive vents such as gable, soffit and ridge vents, which are openings in the roof that allow hot air to escape.

Can you have too much attic ventilation?

More Attic Ventilation is Good

Insufficient ventilation can lead to moisture problems during the winter and decreased energy efficiency during the summer but too much ventilation can be just as bad, if not worse.

What temperature should I set my attic fan to?

Most attic fans operate with a thermostat that automatically turns the fan on and off based on a temperature the homeowner sets. Most manufacturers and contractors recommend a temperature setting between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

What is the best roof vent for a house?

The following are some of the best roof vents available in the market and you should consider them.

Heng's 71111-C1G1 Standard Mount Universal Vent - White.
Lippert Components 389381 White Roof Vent.
Broan-NuTone 634M Roof Cap Black Up to 6" Round Duct.

Do I really need an attic fan?

If you want your home air conditioner to cool you better, then you might want one or two attic fans. Whole-house fans need windows and doors open and attic fans need lots of soffit vents to suck cooler outdoor air up into the hot attic. Without this open space, the fans will not move much air.

Do all houses have attic fans?

None of my homes have had attic fans (whole house fans). An attic fan can be very effective at cooling a house in summer. It pulls air from the house and sends it to the attic where it exits via the gable end and ridge vents.

How do you tell if your attic is properly ventilated?

Here are four signs of an unventilated or under ventilated attic:

Look at your eaves and roof.
Touch your ceiling on a warm, sunny day.
Thick ridges of ice on your eaves in winter are a sign of poor attic ventilation.

Can you install a whole house fan without an attic?

A whole-house fan pulls air from the house and exhausts it out through the roof. Cool air comes in through open windows. Typically they're installed in an attic, but some simple searching finds units that can be mounted in a vaulted ceiling with no attic space. So yes, you can install a whole house fan.

How long should a whole house fan run?

So, the optimal amount of time to use your whole house fan is exactly how long it will stay at its coldest. Whether that lasts for two hours or eight hours, it does not matter as long as it is as cool outside as one would want inside.

Can you leave a whole house fan on all night?

Make sure your A/C is off when you run the fan to avoid wasting energy. We recommend running the whole house fan all night. The goal is to cool your entire house down, not just the air. It takes time to pull the heat out of the sheetrock, structure and contents of a house.

Do roof vents help cool house?

When installed properly, roof vents can help keep your home cool, reduce humidity and prevent mold growth. When installed properly, roof vents can help to keep the home cool, reduce humidity and prevent mold growth.

Does a whole house fan qualify for tax credit?

Because of this and the fact that they don't require chemical coolants to operate, the IRS often allows taxpayers to claim the installation of a new whole house fan as part of an energy tax credit.

Do I need an attic fan if I have a ridge vent?

Vents that run along the roof ridge are an alternative to those that exit through the roof decking or gables, and if the ridge is long enough, they may be the only roof vents you need. As long as you have enough space at the base of the roof for an equal amount of soffit vents, you shouldn't need a fan.

Does an attic fan reduce energy costs?

The intention of the ventilation fan is to save energy and the roof. Energy would be saved by reducing the burden of the air conditioner in the home. The roof would be saved by decreasing the amount of heat moving from the attic through the roof.

What is the best whole house attic fan?

Here are the best whole house fan brands and what they offer.

QuietCool Whole House Fans. This is the leading brand in the whole house fan market – by far.
Tamarack Technologies / TamTech. Tamarack makes a diverse lineup of whole house fans.
Cool Attic.
Comfort Cool.
Ventamatic.