Does an Air Conditioned House Need a Whole House Fan?

Air conditioning, which was considered a luxury a few generations ago, is now a necessary part of living in a comfortable modern home. The fact that this will significantly increase the electricity usage and the utility bill is taken for granted. However, the cost of cooling and ventilating a house can be significantly reduced by installing a whole house fan. The fan, which is installed in the attic, draws stale air out of the structure and it is replaced by cooler fresh outside air, so the air conditioning load is reduced. Among the many advantages of installing the fan are:

          ·  Faster cooling: The fan pulls warm stale air up from the lower levels of the house to the attic from where it is blown out. The air that is removed, is replaced by fresh cooler air that is drawn in from open windows. The cooling this creates is felt more quickly than that created by an air conditioner.

         ·  Energy efficient operation: The starting and running loads on the air conditioner are reduced so the unit has to work less hard and this results in lower power consumption and wear on the unit. It also makes the home more environmentally friendly.

         ·  Reduced Cooling Costs: A whole house fan consumes less than 25% of the power of an air conditioner. When used prior to starting the AC to bring down temperatures, the savings can run into hundreds of dollars a year.

         ·  Low Cost: A whole house fan is far less expensive than a window air conditioner and typically costs only about 10% of what you would need to pay for a central air conditioning unit, not including the installation and ducting cost.

         ·  Easy Installation: Most whole house fans are designed for easy installation and do not require any modifications of the attic joists or roof trusses.

   ·  Reduced Air conditioning replacement/upgrading costs:  As and when the air conditioning system in the house needs to be replaced or upgraded, doing it in conjunction with the installation of a whole house fan will significantly reduce the overall cooling load. This will result in a significant reduction in the cost of the new equipment.

         ·  Possible air conditioning replacement: In areas where the need for air conditioning is marginal, a whole house fan could remove the need for air conditioning altogether, resulting in lower equipment and running costs.

         ·  Significant Health Benefits: Whole house fans ventilate the house effectively, blowing out stale air and replacing it with fresh air from outside. This makes the interior environment a much healthier one, reducing the risk of allergic reactions and the spread of many communicable diseases.

It All Depends On the Quality of the Fan

The many advantages mentioned here make the decision to go in for a whole house fan to supplement the air conditioning a simple one. However, to get the maximum benefits and be sure of many years of trouble-free operation, the fan should be of the highest quality. A common error many people make is to associate top quality with high price. Contact the dealer of a reputed manufacturer and check the prices and many other positives. The result will make the decision to go in for the best an easy one.