How Well Do Solar Powered Attic Fans Work

Air circulation moves hot air out of attic space.

How well do solar powered attic fans work.

You need that amount of air if not more to get any sort of cooling benefit from the fans. If your attic space is over 1 800 square feet you will need enough solar fans to move 8 000 cfm. Intense sunlight can create heat faster than one or two small fans can cool an area. These fans are designed to remove excess heat from your attic which in theory is supposed to lessen the load on the air conditioning in your home.

Heat builds inside an improperly vented attic the sun beats down on a homes roof and heats up the enclosed attic. How solar attic fans work as the sun beats down on your roof it heats the air inside your house starting with your attic. An attic fan is installed on the slanted side of your roof or on one of the gable sides of your attic. That warmed air then circulates through your home forcing your air conditioner to work harder to maintain a constant temperature.

But they re much easier to install since no wiring is needed. To determine the number of cubic feet per minute needed for a power vent fan multiply the number of square feet in your attic by 0 7. Watch this video to find out more. Solar powered attic vent fans usually don t move as many cubic feet of air per minute cfm as hardwired fans.

Principal research scientist danny parker of the florida solar energy center has tested solar attic fans and says the gable end models work the best since they move considerably more air than roof mounted mushroom top units you can install pv fans yourself if you have good carpentry skills but it s not necessarily an easy job.