Summer is just around the corner, and San Jose residents will soon be seeing higher temperatures and higher energy bills. With the right home cooling strategy in place, that doesnandrsquo;t have to be the case. If you would like to give your air conditioner and wallet a break this year and enjoy fresh air at the touch of a button, consider the benefits of a whole-house fan.
How Do Whole House Fans Work?
Whole-house fans pull fresh outdoor air into your home through open windows. Theyandrsquo;re ideally suited for regions with moderate spring, summer and fall weatherandmdash;like our San Jose area. Hereandrsquo;s how they work:
- A large fan is installed between the ceiling and attic or completely concealed inside the attic with a ducted system.
- When the outdoor weather is at a desirable temperature, you open a few windows and turn on the fan.
- Fresh air ventilation is pulled through your entire home.
- The fan pulls the fresh air into the attic where it exhausts through roof and attic vents.
- In a ducted system, airflow is pulled through return grilles.
Advantages of Whole-House Fans
If fresh air and lower energy bills sounds appealing, a whole-house fan may be what your home needs. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District estimates that whole-house fans use 10 percent of the energy that air conditioners use. Thatandrsquo;s a 90 percent discount for cooling your home with fresh air. You will also enhance indoor air quality by replacing stuffy indoor air with fresh outdoor air.
Disadvantages of Whole-House Fans
Unfiltered whole-home ventilation may not be for everyone in your household. Whole-house fans pull unfiltered air directly from outside. So, if there are household members with respiratory ailments that may be exacerbated by unfiltered airflow, youandrsquo;ll need to give the decision to install a whole-house fan extra thought.
To learn more, visit our website for more in-depth information about a whole-house fan and most HVAC topics, or just give us a call at (408) 868-5500. Valley Heating, Cooling, Electrical has served residents in San Jose and Santa Cruz areas for more than 50 years.