Attic exhaust fans are a common solution for reducing heat buildup in attics, particularly during hot summer months. They are designed to cool the attic space and improve air circulation. There are two main types of attic fans – the traditional attic fan and the whole house attic fan. While both types of fans serve a similar purpose, there are some key differences between them that are important to consider when deciding which type of fan is best for your home. In this article, we’ll discuss the difference between attic exhaust fans vs whole house fans.

A regular attic exhaust fan is a standalone unit that is installed in the attic and is used to ventilate that space specifically. It helps to remove hot air and moisture from the attic, which can help to prevent damage to the roof and insulation, as well as reduce the overall temperature of the attic.

On the other hand, a whole house attic fan is installed in the ceiling and vents into the attic.  It is designed to regulate the temperature in the entire house, not just the attic. When the fan is turned on and the windows are open, it pulls cool fresh air from outside and forces the hot air from the interior of the house by pushing it outside through the attic and attic vents. This can help to reduce the overall temperature in the house and reduce the load on air conditioning systems, leading to energy savings.

In conclusion, understanding the difference between a whole house attic fan and an attic fan is important in determining the most appropriate solution for your home. A traditional attic fan is good for cooling the attic space only and improving air circulation, while a whole house attic fan is designed to cool both the attic and living space and is most effective in dry climates that have cool evening, night or morning temperatures. When deciding which type of fan to install, consider your climate, the size of your attic, and your cooling needs.

A whole house fan is a cost-effective way to cool your home and improve indoor air quality. Here’s how to use an attic fan to cool your house:

1. Open windows: When the temperature outside is cooler than inside, open windows in the rooms you want to cool.
2. Run the fan: Turn on the whole house fan. The fan will pull cool air in through open windows and exhaust hot air out of the living space and attic.
3. Keep indoor doors open: Keep doors open between rooms to allow cool air to circulate.
4. Close windows and doors when you turn off the fan: Be sure to close the windows and turn off the fan before the temperature outside starts to rise. This will allow the home to stay cool longer.
5. Repeat as needed: Repeat the process as needed to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home.

Note: It’s best to use a whole house fan when temperatures outside are at least 10 degrees cooler than inside, typically in the early morning, evening or at night.

To learn more about how whole house fans work see our explainer on how whole house fans work.

A whole house fan is a type of ventilation system that is used to cool a home by exchanging indoor air with outdoor air. The fan is typically installed in the attic or upper level of a home and is designed to pull hot, stale air out of the living spaces and replace it with cool, fresh air from outside.

The main use of a whole house fan is to provide an energy-efficient alternative to air conditioning, especially during the cooler months of the year when the temperature outside is pleasant. The fan can be used to cool the entire home or just certain rooms, and it can be operated in conjunction with other cooling systems, such as a central air conditioner or a window air conditioner.

By removing hot air from the home and replacing it with cool air, a whole house fan can help reduce the temperature inside the home, improve indoor air quality, and reduce the need for artificial cooling. This can result in lower energy bills and a more comfortable indoor environment.

The cost to install whole house fan can vary greatly depending on the size of your home, the type of house fan you choose and the complexity of the installation. The average cost of whole house fan installation can range anywhere from $600 to $1000 or more. Factors that can influence the cost of the installation include the cost of the fan itself, the cost of any necessary electrical work and the cost of any additional ventilation required

It’s recommended to get a quote from a licensed whole house fan installer that has experience installing whole house fans. Keep in mind that investing in a quality whole house fan and professional installation can provide long-term energy savings and improved indoor air quality, so it’s worth considering the investment as part of your overall home improvement plan.

Are whole house fans good or bad for your home? Whether a whole house fan is worth the money depends on several factors, including:

Climate

Whole house fans are more effective in climates that have milder temperatures at night. If you live in a hot and humid area where temperatures remain high even at night, a whole house fan may not be as effective.

Energy Costs

A energy-efficient whole house fan can be a cost-effective way to cool your home if you live in a region with cool evening or nighttime temperatures. Whole house fans can actually save you up to 90% on your electricity bill. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) claims that whole house fans use up to 90% less energy air conditioners.

Home Insulation

If your home is poorly insulated, a whole house fan may be an effective way to cool the home.  A hot attic that is poorly insulated, can cause heat to migrate throughout the entire house. In warm climates, where the sun constantly beams down on to the roof the attic quickly fills up with hot air and pushes down into the house and as a result raises the temperature. A whole house fan brings in cool fresh air from outside and pushes out the hot stale air that’s trapped inside the home and attic.

Ultimately, whether a whole house fan is worth the money depends on your specific needs and circumstances. If you’re interested in purchasing a whole house fan, it’s a good idea to do some research and speak with an expert to determine whether it’s the right choice for you.

Are attic fans good or bad? It depends on the specific situation and purpose. Attic fans can have both benefits and drawbacks.

Benefits of an Attic Fan

Attic fans can help reduce heat buildup in the attic during hot weather, which can help lower the temperature inside your home and reduce your air conditioning usage.

Attic fans can also help reduce moisture buildup in the attic, which can help prevent mold and mildew growth.

Drawbacks

Some attic fans can be noisy and disruptive, especially if they are located close to living spaces. CentricAir attic fans are they quietest in the industry. They are acoustically designed and precision balanced making for an ultra quiet operation.

Some attic fans can also increase your energy bills, especially if they are used frequently or left on for long periods of time. CentricAir attic fans are extremely energy efficient and use just 1.5 amps and come with a 15 year fan motor warranty.

Overall, a quality attic fan can be good if properly installed and used in a way that balances the benefits and drawbacks for your specific situation.

A whole house fan is typically used in the evening or early morning when outdoor temperatures are at least 10 degrees cooler than indoor temperatures. The fan is used to exhaust hot, stale air from the living space and attic, and draw in cool, fresh air, providing a natural and efficient means of cooling the home. This can be an energy-saving alternative to air conditioning, especially in regions of the country with cool evening, nighttime or morning temperatures. However, it’s important to use the whole house fan only when windows or doors are open to ensure proper air flow and to prevent negative air pressure in the home. Contact us for more information about when to use a whole house fan.

How does a house fan work? A house fan, like our whole house fan for 2500 square foot homes, works by drawing cool outside air into the home through open windows and expelling hot, stale indoor air through the attic and roof vents.

The fan is typically installed in the attic and is connected to a vent system that runs through the attic and into the rooms of the house. When the fan is turned on, it pulls cool air into the home through open windows and pushes hot, stale air out through the attic vents.

This creates a natural “stack effect” that cools the house and improves indoor air quality. Whole house fans are typically used in the evening or early morning when outdoor temperatures are cooler than indoor temperatures, which makes it more efficient and cheaper to cool the house. Whole house fan can be operated by switch or remote control.

Visit our detailed page about how whole house fans work.

Energy efficiency

Whole house fans use significantly less energy than air conditioning systems, making them a cost-effective option for cooling your home.

Improved indoor air quality

The quality of the air in your home dramatically affects your health. Another benefit of a whole house fan is that it can be used to ventilate the home, bringing in fresh outdoor air and expelling stale indoor air.

Increased comfort

Whole house fans can quickly cool down a home when the temperatures outside are at least 10 degrees cooler than inside and it creates a refreshing breeze.

Improved sleep

Whole house fans can help create a cooler and more comfortable sleeping environment.

Low maintenance

The last benefit of a whole house fan is that it requires minimal maintenance, typically only needing to be cleaned periodically.

Are whole house fans better than air conditioning for the environment? A whole house fan can be good for the environment because it uses significantly less energy than traditional air conditioning systems. Because it is powered by electricity, the environmental impact will depend on the source of the electricity.

If the electricity is generated from renewable sources, such as solar or wind power, then the environmental impact of a whole house fan would be minimal.

Additionally, because whole house fans do not use refrigerants like traditional air conditioners, they do not contribute to ozone depletion or global warming.

Furthermore, by circulating fresh outdoor air throughout the home, whole house fans can improve indoor air quality and reduce the need for chemical air fresheners and other products that can have negative environmental impacts.

Overall, when compared to traditional air conditioning, a whole house fan can be a more environmentally friendly option for cooling your home, especially if it is powered by clean energy.

There is an energy price spike because of a surge in natural gas prices and could keep rising rapidly for years as utilities invest in electric grids.

The New York Times. By Ivan Penn. May 3,2022

Already frustrated and angry about high gasoline prices, many Americans are being hit by rapidly rising electricity bills, compounding inflation’s financial toll on people and businesses.

The national average residential electricity rate was up 8 percent in January from a year earlier, the biggest annual increase in more than a decade. The latest figures, from February, show an almost 4 percent annual rise, reaching the highest level for that month and approaching summer rates, which are generally the most expensive.

In Florida, Hawaii, Illinois and New York, rates are up about 15 percent, according to the Energy Department’s latest figures. Combined with a seasonal increase in the use of electricity as people turn on air-conditioners, the higher rates will leave many people paying a lot more for power this summer than they did last year.

The immediate reason for the jump in electric rates is that the war in Ukraine has driven up the already high cost of natural gas, which is burned to produce about 40 percent of America’s electricity. And supply chain chaos has made routine grid maintenance and upgrades more expensive.

What is particularly worrisome, energy experts said, is that these short-term disruptions could be just the start. They fear that electricity rates will rise at a rapid clip for years because utilities and regulators are realizing they need to harden electric grids against natural disasters linked to climate change like the winter storm that left Texas without power for days last year. Power companies are also spending more on new transmission lines, batteries, wind turbines, solar farms and other gear to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Rising Price of Home Electricity in the U.S.

By The New York Times

U.S. utilities could spend hundreds of billions of dollars in the coming years to repair and upgrade grids.

Almost all of those costs will filter down to monthly electric bills.

“This is an affordability emergency,” said Mark Toney, executive director of The Utility Reform Network, or TURN, which represents ratepayers in California, where rates in February were up 12 percent from a year earlier and utilities are asking regulators to approve further increases. “If you want to control inflation, one of the things you have to control is energy costs.”

Natural gas prices have surged in recent months as U.S. producers have sent more fuel to Europe, which wants to use less Russian gas. Utilities in a few places, like Hawaii and Puerto Rico, rely on some power plants fueled by oil, which has also become much more expensive. The price of coal, which accounts for roughly 20 percent of U.S. electricity, has gone up, too.

The Biden administration has been urging the industry to produce more oil and natural gas, but energy experts say it could take a year or two to significantly increase supplies.

Climate Forward  There’s an ongoing crisis — and tons of news. Our newsletter keeps you up to date. Try the Climate Forward newsletter for 4 weeks.

Demand for electricity is also rising because of climate change. The National Weather Service expects this summer to be hotter than average in most of the country. People who can least afford higher bills could feel the pain the most because most moratoriums on power shut-offs during the pandemic have ended. Last month, the White House sought to soften the blow of higher bills by making hundreds of millions of dollars available for home energy assistance.

“Consumers are going to pay the price for this,” said Gordon van Welie, chief executive of ISO New England, the electric grid operator in the Northeast, where electric rates are among the highest in the country. “The reality is we’re going to be dependent on gas for a very long time.”

How Home Electricity Rates Have Changed Around the U.S.

By The New York Times

Even the cost of wind turbines and solar panels, which had been falling for years, has risen recently because of supply chain problems. But analysts said that over the next decade those renewable sources should help tamp down energy costs, reducing the toll that volatile oil, natural gas and coal prices can take on family budgets and business profits.

The problem is that building new wind and solar installations and the related power lines and batteries will have an upfront cost.

“Wind, solar and hydro are exactly what you need,” said Mark Cooper, a senior fellow for economic analysis at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at Vermont Law School. “We should have been much further along in the transition, which we haven’t been.”

Relying more on the grid

Residents of Massachusetts and other New England states have long endured some of the highest electricity rates in the country. Then in January, rates jumped again. And government forecasters say summer temperatures in the Northeast will be far above normal.

Comfort Cool whole house fans are designed to bring in cool, fresh, clean air from outside while removing the air from inside, significantly improving the quality of air your family breathes. Learn how to get rid of stale air in your house below.

According to the Lung Association, effective ventilation may also help keep bacteria, viruses and other pollutants out of the indoor air. Research shows that airflow and ventilation can alter how diseases spread indoors. The more stagnant the air is, the more likely diseases are to spread. Like the lungs, homes need to be able to breathe to make sure that fresh air comes in and dirty air goes out. Indoor air can build up high levels of moisture, odors, gases, dust, and other air pollutants. To keep the air safe indoors, fresh outdoor air is needed to dilute these indoor pollutants.

Setting up our booth at the IHACI (Institute of Heating and Air Conditioning Industries, Inc.) trade show yesterday. The contractor interest in our modern, powerful and energy efficient Centric Air and QA-Deluxe whole house fans was outstanding. We received a lot of positive feedback regarding the quality of our systems, and attendees were especially impressed with our new two speed remote with temperature control.

A level playing field is described as “a situation in which everyone has a fair and equal chance of succeeding.”

A recent investigation by the CA Energy Commission (CEC) confirmed that one of our competitors (QC Manufacturing the manufacturer of Quiet Cool Fans) was not abiding by this rule.

We recently learned that the CEC has entered into a settlement agreement with QC Manufacturing for “stating greater air flow and air flow efficiency data than could be verified by the Commission’s testing laboratory, in violation of sections 1606(a)(3)(E)(l) and 1608.” As part of the settlement agreement QC Manufacturing must pay $205,000 to the California Energy Commission and notify customers who purchased QC whole house fans prior to July l 8, 20 I 6, to address any concerns they might have with the air flow rate and air flow efficiency of their fans.

Since there are no Federal standards other than truth in advertising laws to specifically keep people in our industry honest, we are grateful to the CA Energy Commission for ensuring that customer receive what they paid for.

We would like to thank our customers for trusting in us and we look forward to providing you with our ultra quiet, highly reliable and energy efficient whole house fans.

Click here to view the actual settlement agreement.

I have to say that my experience with whole-house fans has not always been positive. I remember almost 20 years ago, my wife and I went to dinner at a friend’s house near Detroit. The living room was getting warm even though it was cool outside, so our friend said he was going to turn on the whole-house fan instead of the air conditioner. No sooner did he flip the switch than it sounded like a helicopter had landed on the roof. Papers blew everywhere, and our previously calm, quiet conversation turned into a shouting match, just so we could hear each other above the din.

At that point, I would have been horrified if an HVAC contractor suggested putting one of those beasts in our house. But times have changed, and now I strongly recommend them. The new style of ducted whole house fan designs is smarter, and thankfully much quieter. The problem is that many HVAC contractors just don’t offer these types of products to their customers.

SIMPLE CONCEPT

A whole-house fan is a fairly simple device. The fan is mounted in the ceiling of a central hallway (in the top floor of a two-story house) and draws cool outside air in through open doors and windows while forcing the hottest indoor air out the existing intake and exhaust vents on the roof. This cycle creates a comfortable living environment and reduces the air conditioning load for the next day.

A whole-house fan is effective whenever the outside temperature is lower than the indoor temperature, which is usually in the evenings and at night. It typically uses a fraction of the energy of air conditioning, which means drastically lower energy bills for the typical residence.

In dry desert climates, a whole-house fan is a no-brainer, as it can minimize or nearly eliminate the need for air conditioning completely. What many people don’t realize, however, is that even in most other areas of the United States, you can use it in conjunction with your a/c to significantly reduce your energy consumption.”

Several years ago a study was done on whole-house fans in Florida, and the conclusion was that, while they can increase humidity, fans reduce the temperature in a home. The study involved 384 single-family homes, apartments, and condos, and it showed that by using natural ventilation instead of air conditioning, 777 kWh was saved. So if you can use a fan, it does reduce the air conditioning costs wherever you are.

Obviously, the warmer and more humid the evening air, the less effective natural cooling becomes; however, whole-house fans are often used successfully to complement air conditioning systems. Most fan manufacturers like CentricAir state that as long as the outside temperature is below 72°F, a whole-house fan can effectively cool a home.

NEW DESIGNS, EASIER INSTALLATION

The traditional whole-house fan is fairly large and noisier than small fans, but can move between 4,000 and 7,000 cfm of air. This type of fan is installed in the ceiling, and louvers open when the fan is turned on. Newer whole house fan designs are available that have a flow range between 1,000 and 4,000 cfm.

The real distinction between the two is if people want to feel a breeze moving through the house, then they need to get the bigger fans. If they want to cool the house down slowly over a longer period of time, then the smaller fans work great. They’re quieter and more energy efficient, but they won’t create the kind of breeze that a 7,000-cfm fan will.

Besides being significantly quieter, some new whole house fans have motorized, insulated, sealed damper doors; no framing is required during installation; and a smaller fan running all night long will use much less energy compared to air conditioning. In addition, the house will be cooler in the morning.

The one major requirement for a whole-house fan is that the home has to have an attic with a certain amount of clearance, noted Paul Scelsi, training and communications manager, Air Vent, Dallas. “The installation instructions of the various models and brands make that clear.”

In addition, a home must have a sufficient amount of attic ventilation in order to exhaust the air. If there is not enough ventilating, the resulting positive pressure will force hot, dusty attic air back into the house through light fixtures and other cracks.

CHANGING MARKET

So if a whole-house fan saves energy, improves IAQ, offers a quick payback to customers, and increases a homeowner’s comfort level, why aren’t more HVAC contractors offering these products to customers? It’s difficult to say. Perhaps it’s an issue of education – both the contractor’s and the homeowner’s – or maybe it’s price, as the new whole house fans are substantially more expensive than the traditional models. What is known is that the other trades are making money installing whole-house fans in residential applications.

Right now, it’s the electricians who are usually putting in the whole-house fans. It would be a very profitable service for heating and cooling contractors to offer, because they’re already in a house and the fans can help make any air conditioning system work better.

And all contractors know that any type of differentiation from the competition is a good thing.

Sidebar: Attic Fans?

There’s a big difference between a whole-house fan and an attic fan. Attic fans are designed to ventilate the attic space only, while whole-house fans are designed to ventilate the living space within a home.

The Home Ventilating Institute (www.hvi.org) refers to whole-house fans as whole-house comfort ventilators, and they are designed to bring in cooler outside air, draw it through the house, and push the house air out through the attic vents.

Whole house fans cool homes very efficiently in most areas of the country. But old whole house fans have come under fire for creating leaks into the attic, causing potential depressurization problems and being very noisy.

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The Whole House Fan Man explains the features and the differences between the CentricAir and Quiet Cool.

The Whole House Fan Man explains the features and the differences between the CentricAir and Quiet Cool whole house fan damper inlet boxes.

The Whole House Fan Man explains the features and the differences between the CentricAir and Quiet Cool whole house fan 2-speed operation

Whole house fans the ideal home cooling solution, particularly where cross-ventilation design is inadequate.

The whole of house fans should be positioned centrally, e.g. stairwell or hallways.

Typically, a single fan unit is installed in a circulation space in the center of the house (hallway or stairwell) to draw cooler outside air into the building through open windows in selected rooms, when conditions are suitable. It then exhausts the warm air through eaves, roof or gable vents. This home cooling solution also cools the attic space and reduces any temperature differential across ceiling insulation.

You should not operate the system when external air temperatures are higher than internal.

Traditional whole house fans can be noisy; however, the newer style ducted whole house fans like those from Centric Air are extremely quiet and designed to operate throughout the night provided the windows and doors are left open for circulation. On still nights this home cooling solution can be more effective than air conditioning for night-time sleeping comfort.

Our new fan motor housings for our next line of innovative ducted whole house fans just arrived. We plan on going to market with this new line featuring our new fan motor housing in May 2017… Stay tuned for more updates.

As the name suggests, a whole house fan can greatly reduce the temperature in an entire house. However, the model and make of the fan must be suitable for the house and its size to be effective.

A whole house fan is installed in the ceiling of the upper level of a house, so that it is connected to the attic. A central location and good ventilation are all crucial to the successful operation of this system. The following are several benefits of a whole house fan.

1. Fast Operation

These fans work by drawing hot air from the house into the attic and then outside via ridge, dormer or gable vents. The empty space left by the hot air is filled with cool, fresh air from outside the house. Compared to a central air conditioner, a whole house fan works much faster, and you begin to feel the cooling effects in minutes. However, a whole house fan will obviously only work if the external air is cooler than the air indoors.

2. High Energy Efficiency

A whole house fan is a much more environmentally friendly option than central air conditioning or room AC units.

3. Low Operating Costs

During operation, a modern whole house fan, like those from Centric Air, costs just pennies an hour to run compared to an air conditioner that can cost several dollars an hour to operate. It is far cheaper, and you can save hundreds of dollars in your electric bill every summer.

4. Easy Installation

Installing a whole house fan can be easy and uncomplicated. Modern whole house fans are built to accommodate roof trusses and attic joists, so it can actually be a do-it-yourself project, with minimal assistance from another person.

5. Low Cost of the Appliance Itself

A whole house fan can be 10 times cheaper than a central air conditioning unit, not to mention the cost of the ductwork and installation. If you do not have extreme summer weather, this appliance can replace your AC entirely.

6. Removal of Stale Indoor Air

Because a whole house fan draws in hot air to the attic and then lets it out of the house, your indoor air is considerably fresher. This helps remove and prevent odors and provides excellent ventilation all around the house.

7. Quiet Operation

Newer models like whole house fans like Centric Air operate very quietly, and do not emit the loud, disturbing noises associated with traditional larger whole house fans. You can operate a whole house fan throughout the night and enjoy a good night’s sleep even if you’re a light sleeper.

8. Reduced Need for Air Conditioning

When you use a whole house fan, the entire house can be effectively cooled down by drawing in air from the outside. When operated during summer mornings, evenings, or nights, there is usually no need for other air conditioning. In fact, you should not use an AC at the same time as a whole house fan, because the cool air from the air conditioner will be let out of the house and replaced by air from outside.

It doesn’t make much sense to use an air conditioner to cool a home when the outside air is cooler than the inside. So in areas with hot days and cool nights, people often use whole-house fans to exhaust the hot indoor air once the outside temperature drops below 78°F.

Whole house fans are installed in the ceiling, in an opening that is cut into the attic. They flush indoor air out through the attic, replacing it with outside air drawn in through the open windows. Residents turn on the fan and open windows when the outside temperature drops below the inside temperature, and for best results, they leave the fan on for several hours – preferably overnight. This cools the house down and also flushes built-up heat (much of which would otherwise find its way back into the home) from the attic.

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At Centric Air our mission is to provide homeowners with an affordable alternative to expensive air conditioning. Although no whole house fan can completely replace the need for air conditioning, a Centric Air system can reduce its dependency by as much as 50 to 90% saving homeowners hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs.

Unlike conventional whole house fans that are large, noisy and unattractive, a Centric Air whole house fan is modern, powerful and ultra quiet. Contributing to its exceptionally quiet operation is the German engineered, acoustically designed and precision balanced fan that is rated for 40,000 hours of operation. These high efficient fans are made of composite materials with wing tip design for increased performance and efficiency, while reducing noise up to 3 decibels.

Other whole house fan manufactures typically use an open motor with exposed electrical windings, which allows dirt and debris to plug the motor causing it to over heat, and prematurely fail. They also use cheaply made propeller fans, which can become unbalanced over time causing the fan to be unstable and noisy.

Adding to Centric Air whole house fan’s remarkably quiet operation is the acoustical ductwork. Unlike standard ducting, acoustical ductwork not only dampens the noise of rushing air but also absorbs vibration, allowing the system to quietly operate even while you sleep.

While traditional whole house fans consist of large louvered shutters that can rattle, squeak and vibrate over time, Centric Air systems use a modern eggcrate style grill, which not only looks nice but also allows for 30% more airflow compared to standard return air grills. Located above the grill in the attic and out of sight, is an industrial grade damper box, which is designed to seal off the living space from the attic when the system is not operating.

The cost to operate a Centric Air whole house fan is just pennies an hour making it one of the most energy efficient upgrades you can make to your home. Centric Air is also one of the few ducted whole house fan manufactures that meet the strict energy efficiency standards set by the California Energy Commission. To learn more about Centric Air whole house fans or to purchase a system online, please visit www.CentricAir.com

I have to admit that my experience with whole-house fans has not always been positive. I remember almost 20 years ago as an HVAC contractor when homeowners would ask me to quote a whole house fan installation, I’d quickly steer them away. The noise from these traditional whole house fans reminded me of my time in the Army being around helicopters. Sure they moved a ton of air but try having a conversation, listening to the television and don’t even think about trying to sleep while it’s running.

Fortunately times have changed and the newer ducted style whole house fans are ultra quiet and extremely energy efficient. This begs the question: “What is a whole house fan?” in its modern context.

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Much of the country is experiencing a heat wave, which is typical for the month of August. Daytime temperatures can reach 90 to 100 degrees and temperatures during the evening and early night are not much cooler. At about 9:00 PM the outside temperature where I live was 84 degrees, definitely not a good time to use an energy-saving fan. This was one of those nights I was grateful for air conditioning.

In the morning, however, at about 6:00 AM the outside temperature was 67 degrees. Although you may think, why would I use my whole house fan when my home is already cool from running the air conditioner, the reason is quite simple. Even though the temperature inside the home may be cool, the temperature in the attic and walls are not. They retained the heat from the day before and the temps in those spaces could be well above 100 degrees. As a result, unless that heat is removed it will radiate into the house, quickly heating up the living space. It’s for this reason that you want to run your whole house fan. Learn how to use a whole house fan during a heat wave below.

At 6:00 in the morning I opened a few windows and turned on the whole house fan while making sure that the temperature outside never exceeded the indoor temperature. After about an hour, I turned off the whole house fan and closed the windows. My entire home (living space, walls and attic) was now cool and comfortable, delaying the need for air conditioning.

While some of my neighbors’ air conditioners turned on as early as 9:00 this morning, I knew I would not have to run mine until much later, significantly saving on my cooling bill.

Although a whole house fan is not designed to completely replace air conditioning, it can help reduce the need for it, even during a heat wave.

To learn more about the benefits of whole house fans, visit www.CentricAir.com