Benefits of a Whole House Fan

SAN LEANDRO — Cooling your home in the summer can get expensive fast, and unless you have a top-of-the-line air conditioning system, you might still be uncomfortable. If this is typically your experience during the summer months, it’s time to consider an alternative cooling option: a whole house fan.

Installed in the attic, a whole house fan is designed to both cool and ventilate the entire home. When operated during cooler times of day (such as the morning and evening), the fan pulls outside air into the home to cool and refresh the living space while simultaneously flushing built-up heat out of the attic.

There are two primary benefits that make a whole house fan stand out from a conventional air conditioning system. First, it requires far less energy to run than an A/C unit. In fact, when installed as a supplement to air conditioning, a whole house fan can potentially reduce home cooling costs by 50 to 90 percent.

The second benefit of a whole house fan is that, unlike air conditioning, it ventilates the home. Instead of cycling the same stale indoor air through the vents, a whole house fan introduces fresh air from the outside, which makes a huge difference in terms of comfort. In addition, the improved ventilation helps remove things like odors, allergens and germs, so your home will also smell better and be more sanitary. This can have an especially big impact during the winter and summer seasons, when perpetually closed windows and doors cause odors and particles to become trapped within the home.

As you can see, a whole house fan is a worthwhile addition to your home’s cooling system. Between the energy savings and improved indoor air quality, you’ll literally breathe easier after installing a whole house fan.