ACI Northwest Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Attic Fans’

Have You Considered Installing an Attic Fan?

Monday, June 15th, 2015

While fans alone cannot cool a home, they do serve a couple of important purposes. Ceiling fans move air around, which allows you to feel a lot cooler and run your air conditioner for less. This keeps your bills low and prevents wear and tear on the parts of your AC. One other type of fan that you may not be as familiar with is an attic fan, which may be just as important in keeping you cool. Find out how in this short guide.

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3 Ways Attic Fans Benefit Your Household

Monday, March 31st, 2014

If you’ve ever ventured into your home’s attic during a warm summer day, you know that this shaded, enclosed spot can turn into an oven. Attics can reach 120°F easily on hot days, and this turns the region into a massive heat sink that will affect the rest of your home.

One way to protect your house from the extra heat is with proper attic insulation. But you can go a step further with installation of attic fans that equalize the temperature between the inside and the outside of the attic. These fans are also effective at decreasing the moisture that rises into the attic year-round from kitchens and showers.

If you are interested in attic fan installation, contact ACI Northwest and ask about our electrical services in Coeur d’Alene, WA.

3 benefits from attic fans

  1. Increased comfort and energy efficiency: The basic function of an attic fan is to reduce the temperature in the attic, and subsequently keep it from seeping down to heat up your home even more during hot weather. With the fans in operation, the attic averages 50 degrees cooler, and this translates to a drop of 10 degrees inside the rest of your home—a significant difference. You will end up using your air conditioner less during the summer to combat extra heat, and this means a reduction on your utility bills.
  2. Extended roof life: The high levels of heat and trapped moisture inside the attic will shorten the lifespan of your roof, which is one of the most expensive parts of a home to repair or replace. Water moisture that becomes trapped inside the roof will encourage the growth of damaging molds. When the temperature drops in winter, the moisture will freeze, expanding and causing cracking to roofing material. Attic fans pull down the temperature and dissipate the moisture that can ruin your roof.
  3. Storage protection: Most households use the attic as a storage place for items only needed a few times a year, or for valuable keepsakes and heirlooms. The intense heat inside an attic during the summer can cause damage to many of these items, especially if they are exposed to it year after year. Moisture will also cause severe harm, particularly to wood and precision objects such as musical instruments. Attic fans regulate these problems, making the attic a safer place to store your important possessions.

Attic fan installation is a large project, but with the right Coeur d’Alene electrical service contractor on the job, you should have no difficulties. ACI Northwest provides excellent attic fan installation, as well as any repairs you might need. Don’t suffer from unnecessary heat in your home this summer: call ACI Northwest today.

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Electrical Tip: Why Use an Attic Fan?

Monday, June 3rd, 2013

When the heat of summer really sets in, your home can heat up fast. No matter how hot it may get in your home, though, the rest of the house probably pales in comparison to the heat level in your attic. Heat rises naturally, so it only makes sense that your attic is going to be extremely hot during the summer months. The problem, though, is that this pent up heat in your attic can radiate throughout your home, driving up temperatures in other areas. With an attic fan installation from the electrical pros at ACI Northwest, you can help keep this problem to a minimum.

Attic fans are a great, effective way to reduce energy costs in your home. An attic fan uses a thermostat to monitor the temperature in your attic, and when the temperature exceeds the target temperature your attic fan will vent heat out of your home. This will help to reduce the risk of heat in your attic heating up the rest of your home, which will cause your air conditioning system to work harder in order to keep you cool and comfortable. The harder that your air conditioner has to work, the more energy it will consume and the more money it will cost to operate.

Additionally, an attic fan may actually be able to help prolong the life and protect the condition of your air conditioner. If your AC has to run with increased frequency due to heat radiating from your attic, it is possible that it will lead to increased wear and tear on your system. The more wear and tear that your air conditioner suffers, the more likely damage to your system becomes. This means that an attic fan can help reduce the risk of problems with your air conditioner that will require costly air conditioning repairs.

For more information about why you may want to consider an attic fan installation, contact the Spokane Electrical technicians at ACI Northwest. We have the answers you need to decide if an attic fan is right for you. Call now to speak with one of our attic fan technicians.

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Electrical Home Improvement: On the Benefits of an Attic Fan

Tuesday, April 30th, 2013

If you’ve ever had to retrieve an old box from the attic during the peak heat of the summer, then you know how hot it can get in the summer. Up to 160 degrees Fahrenheit in some cases. You may think that this is ok, so long as you don’t have to live up there. Yet, a hot attic space can actually begin to impinge upon your cooling system and home comfort unless you take action. The radiant energy of the sun is powerful, and as your roofing heats up, so does the rest of your home, even with attic insulation. So if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to improve your air conditioning performance and efficiency, then consider an attic fan. In this post, we’d like to review some of the potential benefits. For more information about Spokane, WA electrical services, call ACI Northwest today!

An attic fan works by ventilating the hot air outside and bringing the cooler air inside. They work best in combination with adequate insulation and ventilation. If air can freely move from your home into your attic without having to pass through a thermal barrier, then it may actually be counter-productive.  Speak to your electrician about whether an attic fan works for your home. Let’s review some of their benefits.

  • Reduce heat in the home. Ventilation is an important passive cooling tactic for the entire home, but sometimes it just isn’t enough. A professionally installed attic fan can reduce stifling temperatures in the attic to just over the ambient outdoor temperature. This can be a dramatic temperature reduction, sometimes up to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • Decrease need for cooling. Your air conditioning system works hard during the dog days of summer to keep your home full of crisp, cool air. An attic fan can help to reduce the amount of cooling it needs, and therefore the amount of energy it uses.

To learn more about attic fans and what they can do for your home, speak to a local professional. Call ACI Northwest for excellent electrical services.

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Ventilation Tip: How Attic Fans Improve Overall Home Efficiency

Monday, October 22nd, 2012

In addition to proper insulation in your attic, there are other improvements you can make. Adding an attic fan can increase ventilation and provide benefits all year long, not just in the summer. While a whole house fan can help to provide ventilation throughout the home, an attic fan may be more appropriate for your situation. Ask your contractor if you aren’t sure.

Call the ventilation experts at ACI Northwest for more information about how to help weatherize your home for year round comfort and efficiency. To get you started, we have included some of the main ways that attic fans can improve overall home efficiency and prevent moisture problems in the home.

Creating more fresh air circulation in your attic not only helps cool the home in the summer, but it can also prevent moisture related damages. In a home that is already well-insulated and has plenty of ventilation, an attic fan will help with overall efficiency by helping to remove the hot air from the attic. In addition to keeping the home cooler in the summer, it removes the heat that rises to the attic in the winter.

You don’t want all the heat in your home trapped in the attic during the winter because it will speed up the snow melting process. If temperatures drop quickly, the snow melt can freeze and create ice dams. Ice dams can cause damage to your roof, and when they start to melt, the water can get under the shingles and into your attic. This can ruin the insulation, wood, and even dry wall and ceilings if the leak is serious enough.

If you aren’t sure whether an attic fan is right for you, call the heating and cooling specialists at ACI Northwest. We can answer all your questions and provide our expert advice.

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