Whole-house fans pull in cool air from open windows and doors and exhaust warm/hot air through the attic and roof. They're ideal if you live in an area with typically low humidity levels and nighttime temperatures below 75°F during the summer. (The illustration from the U.S. Department of Energy shows how these fans work.) These fans cost significantly less to operate than air conditioner.
Prices range from $200 to $800, and it's best to hire a pro to do the installation. You might be able to get a rebate for installing a whole-house fan, so contact your utility company to find out about any offers.
We recommend you choose a large-capacity fan, which will make less noise running at a low speed than a small fan will operating at high speed. Be sure the contractor installs the fan with rubber or felt gaskets to dampen noise.
Whole-house fans require an opening between the living space and the attic, but that opening can allow cold air to infiltrate your living space in cold-weather months. So install an airtight insulated cover over the opening to prevent heat loss and keep your heating bills from skyrocketing.
Get more details on whole-house fans from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Essential information: Use our buyer's guide to air conditioning and read up on portable air conditioners, split-ductless cooling systems, and ceiling fans. And find out how to keep cool for less this summer.
We installed a whole house fan from Sears about a year or two after we moved into our home, which was in Dec. 1979. It was the best decision we ever made. I believe it cost us $200 at the time. My husband installed it himself. Even when we got Central Air conditioning installed about 4 years ago, we still kept the whole house fan in working order because here, in northeas PA, we can use it a lot in early spring/summer and also in late fall when we shut down the A/C. I highly recommend getting one.
We installed Quiet Cool fans in multiple rooms in our CA home. We chose this system because it is quiet and we wanted to run the fans at night when it cools off outside. We put one in each of the upstairs bedrooms and a larger one in the hallway. We still use our A/C during the daytime, but we have really cut our a/c bill by killing the air and turning on the fans in the early evening hours. The initial cost is somewhat pricey, but it will definitely pay off. I would pass on the X-10 remote system and opt to hardwire the fans. This way you can use a wall timers to have the fans turn off automatically in the middle of the night.
Modern whole house fans also have motorized doors that seals the fan inlet when not in use. There are several brands of modern whole house fans on the market with this feature, which is a great energy saver.
I agree, the QuietCool fans are the best. they also come with a ten year warranty. It is not necessary to buy fans with motorized doors, as that is just something to go wrong in your hot attic. Most of the fans with those only offer a three year warranty.
I purchased my QuietCool fans three years ago and love them. They paid for themselves in the first year with savings on my electric bill. My July 2010 Southern California Edison bill was only $65.00 and then Edison gave me another $35.00 credit for installing a meter on my air so my net bill was $35.00
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