Consider: Attic Fans, Solar Attic Fans, Bathroom Exhaust Fans, Kitchen Hood Fans, Whole House Fans, and Through Wall Fans.
Ceiling fans help create a ‘breeze’ , so you may feel cooler, but whole house fans actually move the warm air out of your living spaces.
In its very essence a house fan consists of an electrical motor, fan blades and an housing to support the motor and the blades.
The better models have a better insulated housing (and door, and frames), a better and more silent electrical motor, and better and more balanced blades. The difference are usually in these details.
But there are some features you may also want to equate: traditional models versus recent models, multi-speed models, models with or without controls, new sealed and insulated models. And also the Prices and Manufacturers of whole house fans.
Tip 1: Buy a well insulated and sealed fan
Bet on a tight-sealing cover and on a sealed system (including a sealed door for the fan opening), namely if you want respond to weather changes in a handy way. This features are also a guarantee of a much more silent model.
Tip 2: Choose a multi-speed model
Multi-speed whole house fans – usually two-speed fans – have significant advantages. They allow a wider flexibility to their homeowners: the high speed allows the entire house to be ventilated quickly, while the low (and quieter) speed provides an agreeable air circulation…
Tip 3: Control options
Pull-chains or wall control switches are common and handy. Many models allow you to run or shut off the whole fan, or set the fan speed with simple on/off wall or pull switches; some models involve also a timer to run or stop the fan at pre-selected times.
Tip 4: The big alternative: traditional vs modern whole house fan models…
Traditional models– either with fan blades attached directly to the motor (direct drive whole fan technology) or based on a pulley and belt system to operate the blades (the belt driven whole fan technology) - are tested, reliable and cheap… But they can be noisy and usually demand more complementary work and costs involving sealing and insulation...
New models are much more silent, sealed and easier to install, and demand less insulation work because they can fit in a single joist bay. The new models are typically more energy efficient and quiet, because some of the best ones use a quad motor system, where four small motors run rather than one larger one. The new systems cost more but the increased efficiency delvers a payback in a few years.
The right home improvement products, techniques, and services:
Contractors, home improvement stores, and specialty shops in your area may not yet have a complete familiarity with the ‘green’ opportunities, products, system integration, and overall savings potential. So, you may get some resistance, since people in general are typically more comfortable recommending something that they are already familiar with rather than something new. To help break the inertia, use the information across this website like our Return on Investment Master ROI Table. Also feel free to post a question in our forum on the message board about a particular need for your home relative to your area. Our team has spent multiple years aggregating research from public and private sector performance reports and from manufacturers and homeowners across the country in order to provide you with the perspective you may need to see the initial payback and long term advantages. Environmental enthusiasts and leading institutions like the American Institute of Architects and the National Association of Realtors, see the value and link into our resources to support their members.
The Green Home:
For your overall home improvement, you can save money, improve your family’s health, and save the planet. Find out for free how much it will cost to do different types of home improvement in your home from a qualified and member approved contractor in your area. Get a FREE Quote . Plus, regardless of the size and scope of your home improvement project, save money and keep your home clean with the top rated chemical free and concentrated Green Home Cleaning Products.
Home Improvement Basics:
When it comes to home improvement basics, look for interior home improvements like creating a clean, safe, and healthy home through sustainable ‘green’ furniture, home décor, zero VOC and Interior Paint, plus ENERGY STAR Appliances and Electronics. For energy and utility savings you can focus on insulation and air sealing, windows, doors, lighting and skylights, water saving plumbing opportunities, and high efficiency heating and air conditioning systems. On the outside of your house, look for exterior home improvement opportunities through landscape design and gardening plus solar energy, wind and other power sources. If you are undertaking a major home renovation, an additions, or building a new home, then take the lead to ‘go green’ in as many ways as possible to save money and the environment.
