I just had one of these installed in my home and it works great.
I was considering the AirScape 1.7 or the Tamarack 1600 at first. I finally decided to go with the SuburbanFan QC1500.
It might be called Quiet Cool 1500. I bought it online at www.SuburbanFan.com They threw in a free remote too !! This company is pretty cool because they have most of the whole house fan manufacturers in one spot on their site- with how to video etc...
Oh yeah... Another thing I liked about this company is that they did not bad rap any of the manufacturers they just presented the facts and a real person answered my questions I liked that.

We have 3,800 sq feet home and installed the Quiet Cool fans. We installed two QC-1500 in each bedroom and a QC-4500 in the hallway. We also installed their Envirocool downstairs. These fans work great and are very quiet. We run them all night in the summer months. We bought ours online at www.quietcoolfan.com

I wish Consumers Reports would do a whole house fan review its desperately needed right now.

i LOOKED AT THE qUIET COOL , AIRSCAPE AND TAMARACK. i WENT WITH THE TAMARACK 1600 BECAUSE OF THE INSULATED DOORS. THE INSTALLATION WAS EASY AND THIER CUSTOMER SERVICE WALKED ME THRU THE WHOLE PROCESS.

I don't know what brands I've had over 30 years but we've always had what was once called an attic fan. I've had them installed in two houses and will NEVER be without one. I've had one electric motor replaced. We live in southern KS and the fan cools the house most of the summer. I turn it on even on the hottest days to first blow that 130 degree air from the attic, then use the central air if needed like on brutally hot days or very humid days. Blowing out that hot air makes a huge difference in the AC cooling the house. I'm home all day and most days close up the house to keep the cool night air in until late afternoon. We use a timer switch at night and it goes off around 1 AM or whenever we want. We also run a ceiling fan in our BR all night. Our electric bills are NEVER over $90 unless we have house guests who insist on fulltime AC during their stay....

I agree that it seems time for Consumer Reports to review whole house fans. I live without air conditioning in Southern California. On days where the temperature is over 90 during the day my attic gets so hot that the furnace fan kicks on, so I actually have to unplug the furnace. A whole house fan would be perfect for the few unbearably hot weeks we have here, but I don't have any idea which brand is best.

I also live in Southern California where a whole house fan is ideal. There appears to be several major vendors but without a good evaluation by CR, I'm flying blind. I would also suggest CR refresh all energy saving product reviews, and also evaluate energy products not presently reviewed.

We live in AZ..in the Valley where temps can reach 115 degrees and sometimes more. Would a whole house fan be practical, for when we have some nights in the low 110's aor 90's during the summer, we would never leave windows open.

We live in PHX and we have one and will never be without one. Can run it after monsoon season and until in warms up at night. (usually April) We live in a 3000 sq foot house and the inside air will match the outside air. Guests that come over are amazed how much air is drawn in. In response to J. Rowe, you have to leave a window open or it wont work.

I agree it's time for CU to review whole-house fans. I found the airscape product line fascinating but need independent advice!

Hopefully this place will help you as much much as it helped me-
They ARE NOT manufacturers and they were able to provide me with some very good information that the manufacturers did not.

I am Very happy with the fans that they suggested for me to purchase as well.

They have an on line whole house fan calculator and they will give you suggestions based on a national standard as well as two other standards. I went with the 2nd standard regarding complete air exchanges. I had an HVAC friend check the fans output after I installed it and it is better than they suggested it would be !

Here is the link to the whole house fan calculator.
http://www.ilocano.net/suburbanFan/

The company is Suburbanfan.com

Summer is fast approaching. I saw a solar powered fan in my Costco email today and it got me thinking about this again. I was really surprised not to see more info here. CR, please do a review!!

I live in Up State NY and had a 36" whole house fan installed in the hall of my ranch about 20 years ago. We turned it on in the evenings when the outside temperature dropped and our house cooled off in minutes. We then turned it off in the morning before the outside temperature increased, closed the windows, shades, and curtains which usually kept the house cool for much of the day. With this method, we only used our central air conditioning about 2 weeks a year, a big saving. Be sure to have plenty of windows open before you turn the fan on and one or two blankets on your bed. An added benefit: if you burn something in the kitchen, toast or a pot on the stove, open some windows and doors, flip on the fan and you'll clear the smoke in no time.

We installed an Airscape but I would have liked some independent info on the fans before we bought it. The jury is out on how well it works. doesn't seem to pull much air to me.

I live in mid-Indiana and am considering installing an all house fan with ridge roof vents to release the hot air. I realize it is for summer use but would consider using it on especially warm days in the winter to refresh the air in the house. My worry is what the ridge roof vents will be like in the winter and can I use the all house fan in the winter. I'm considering a fan which claims R-38 insulation value.

We have had a Master Flow 30" fan for about 12 years. It is somewhat noisy but remarkable effective at cooling the house.

I do not understand why "it's best to hire a pro to do the installation." If you are comfortable doing your own wiring the rest of the job is easy.