Is it worth getting a whole house fan?
Whether a whole house fan is worth the money depends on several factors, including:
Climate
Whole house fans are more effective in climates that have milder temperatures at night. If you live in a hot and humid area where temperatures remain high even at night, a whole house fan may not be as effective.
Energy Costs
A whole house fan can be a cost-effective way to cool your home if you live in a region with cool evening or nighttime temperatures. Whole house fans can actually save you up to 90% on your electricity bill. Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) claims that whole house fans use up to 90% less energy air conditioners.
Home Insulation
If your home is poorly insulated, a whole house fan may be an effective way to cool the home. A hot attic that is poorly insulated, can cause heat to migrate throughout the entire house. In warm climates, where the sun constantly beams down on to the roof the attic quickly fills up with hot air and pushes down into the house and as a result raises the temperature. A whole house fan brings in cool fresh air from outside and pushes out the hot stale air that’s trapped inside the home and attic.
Ultimately, whether a whole house fan is worth the money depends on your specific needs and circumstances. If you’re interested in purchasing a whole house fan, it’s a good idea to do some research and speak with an expert to determine whether it’s the right choice for you.
We bought our house a bit over a year ago, just in time for summer... which, indoor heatwise, was just awful. The days got hot, the house heated up, and at night when the air got nice and cool... the house simply stayed hot. We had to either run the air a lot (expensive, and really irritating to do at night when it's nice and cool outside) or just suffer through 85+ degree heat indoors. Mostly we did both.
I'm not willing to go through another summer like that, especially since we now have an infant son to think of. We've fixed a lot of the obvious problems: we installed nice blinds, fixed the hole in the ceiling. Although our attic insulation is crap, we're getting that taken care of. I don't think all this is going to be enough to keep the house cool, though.
I really like the idea of a whole house fan (not to be confused with an attic fan) to expel the hot air and suck in the nice cool air at night. I wish I could use a powerful window fan for this, but our windows are all pretty narrow and I can't find a decent one that will fit. I'm leaning toward getting a decent whole house fan installed, but given the cost, it would be nice to get some input on this before we commit to doing that. I don't personally know anybody who has one, so we're asking the hive. If you have one, do you like it? Do you still have to run the AC much or does it help with that? How do you effectively use one?
Thanks so much!
With the summer about to come on strong, we're considering installing a whole house fan in our newly bought house (Los Angeles area). Before we take the plunge, I'd love to hear from anybody who has one, preferably in a climate like ours -- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Worth it or not?