Do Solar Attic Fans Work

For the attic fans to work at peak efficiency they need to be on a south facing roof slope if you live in the northern hemisphere.

Do solar attic fans work.

If the angle of the sun is lower in the sky morning and late afternoon or the sun s rays are trying to cut through thin clouds or haze the fan spins slower moving less air. Attic fan savings claims. The fan will stop spinning immediately once it loses contact with the light. That warmed air then circulates through your home forcing your air conditioner to work harder to maintain a constant temperature.

Of attic and expels hot air from the attic quickly replacing it with cooler air from outside. As the sun beats down on your roof it heats the air inside your house starting with your attic. Solar attic fans require direct sunlight to operate. But they re much easier to install since no wiring is needed.

Once the solar powered attic fan is up on the roof the sun works its magic to power the fan. Solar attic fans operate using free solar energy a solar attic fan is a simple way to add a motorized venting system to your home without needing any extra electrical wiring or structural changes. How an attic fan works attic fans exhaust hot air from your attic to the outside. 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.

Solar attic fans work by pulling in the cold air from the soffits and pushing out the hot air that has accumulated at the top of the attic. Yes the solar powered attic fans spin at different speeds. 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. Fresh air is pulled in from your soffits and or roof vent creating a draft through your attic.

A solar attic fan ideally delivers up to 400 cfm of venting power per 1000 sq. Cold air is at the bottom and warm air is at the top. Solar powered attic vent fans usually don t move as many cubic feet of air per minute cfm as hardwired fans. Natural light solar attic fans are manufactured using high impact photovoltaic solar panels to power the fan for free all during the day.

Solar attic fans can be installed in just 15 minutes. The attic fan just helps the air move more which adds cooler air circulation. Because most models do not use a battery as a backup power source any drifting clouds that come along will interrupt the operation of this unit. The single solar powered attic fan i have has not lowered the temperature in my attic at all.

In addition to soffit gable and or ridge vents you may want to add a power vent fan to your attic to increase air circulation. If a cloud blocks the sunlight the fans slow or stop.