whole-house fan pros and cons

Whole-house demand favorable weather conditions to operate, and present some potential disadvantages that you should assess.

Advantages

Whole house fans provide high energy savings, and are cheap and tested cooling devices. They use one-tenth of the energy or a common air conditioner and can lower cooling costs by around 30 percent in hot and temperate climates with hot summers.

Anyway, whole-house fans has some important drawbacks that you should consider. We list them below.

Noise: a disadvange of most traditional models

Traditional whole house fans can be noisy, especially small units operating at high speed. A proper installation is crucial for noise control. All whole-house fans should be installed with rubber or felt gaskets to dampen noise.

Some manufacturers are publicizing quieter whole-house fans with smaller ceiling openings.

Outside temperatures and humidity

A whole-house fan demands specific weather conditions to operate, namely outside fresher air and low humidity.

A useful principle is to use the whole house fan when outside temperatures are below 85ºF and the humidity is low or medium.

In winter and in most cold climates weather conditions, whole-house fans are useless.

Ceiling opening

The installation of a whole house demands a opening in your ceiling… making it a prime place for cold air intrusion or air conditioning loss… The opening should be closed and well insulated, namely in winter time.

This traditional disadvantage of whole-house fans can now be overcome with new models, using tightly covers over the fan blades whenever the fan is off.

Extra roof venting

Another disadvantage of whole-house fans concerns the extra roof venting demanded by them. See: Whole-Fan Sizing and Installation

combustion gases

Whole house-fans are powerful devices, and you shouldn’t forget to open the windows when operating them. Without sufficiently opened windows, the fan can pull carbon monoxide or other combustion products (associated with furnaces, gas-fired dryers or other appliances) into other rooms.

Safety, dust, pollen and pollution

Besides, keeping windows (or doors) open may pose safety concerns, in some cases. And drawing in the outdoor fresher air, also can pull dust, pollution and pollen into the house, if the surrounding landscape is polluted…