Heat and moisture cause some of the most damage to your home and indoor air quality. They also both contribute to high utility bills, especially during the hot summer months when you need air conditioning to cool your home. A lot of extra heat and moisture get trapped in your attic, deteriorating your house’s materials and overworking your air conditioning. Looking for an affordable product to help combat this? Solar attic fans may be your salvation.
What Are Solar Attic Fans?
Solar energy has come a long way in the last few years. Not only are residential solar panels more accessible than ever, there are also countless ways in which you can take advantage of solar through other solar-powered products—like solar attic fans!
What is a solar attic fan? Pretty much exactly what it sounds like.
A solar attic fan is a solar-powered fan that is installed on your roof. It uses free energy from the sun to power the fan, compared to powered attic fans, connected to the grid. Depending on the size and output requirements of your attic fan, electric powered fans can oftentimes consume more energy than they help reduce.
A solar attic fan, however, boasts net zero energy consumption. This means that the solar fan only uses the energy it created to reduce your attic heat and moisture, only further reducing your overall consumption and, in turn, your utility bill.
How Do Solar Attic Fans Work?
Rather than bringing in fresh air from the inside of the home like a whole house fan, an attic fan is specifically designed to remove the hot, stale air from the attic itself. You will see the benefit of this type of fan mostly on your cooling bill. Since attic fans remove the hottest air in the home, your air conditioner will be more efficient and you may be able to run it less while still effectively cooling your home. And, since solar attic fans produce their own energy via photovoltaic panels, the only cost associated with them is that of the installation.
Are Solar Attic Fans For Me?
Our solar and energy experts would argue that every homeowner would benefit from the installation of a solar attic fan. It’s really quite simple! You pay a small upfront fee for the product and installation, and then, your fan produces its own energy to reduce moisture and heat from your attic. This results in higher efficiency for your air conditioner and saves you money! Who wouldn’t want that?
Also, solar attic fans don’t just benefit homeowners in the hot summer months. Because they are solar powered, they work year round. All that cold, damp air that comes during the winter months? It is just as damaging to your home when trapped in a well-insulated attic. Solar fans help reduce harmful moisture furthering the life expectancy of your home, increasing HVAC efficiency and increasing air quality.
What’s All This About Air Quality?
Mold requires warm, humid climates to grow properly. With the help of home solar-powered fans, the upstairs of your home will remain cool and dry, even in a climate like Hawaii, Florida, Texas and California! This prevents mold spores, mildew, and other particles from entering the air and can improve your home’s air quality.
Why should you care about indoor air quality?
Some pollutants in the air are especially harmful for children, elderly people and those with health problems. The air we breathe at work, in school and in our home can cause detrimental damage to our health. The EPA recommends paying close attention to your indoor air quality to help mitigate potential health risks that are otherwise easily avoidable.
Also, we need to keep in mind, indoor air quality is almost always worse than outdoor air quality. The levels of indoor air pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than outdoor levels, and in some cases these levels can exceed 100 times that of outdoor levels of the same pollutants.
With a solar attic fan, you can do your part in increasing your air quality, keeping you and your family safer.
Also, solar attic fans help keep your HVAC filters clean. When you use a solar-powered attic fan, you reduce the burden on your HVAC system, which means it filters less air and its filters are less likely to get clogged. This prevents dust and debris from entering your home, keeping your air quality high.
How Can I Install a Solar Attic Fan?
Typically, solar attic fans are easy to install. With no wires or connections, many like its plug-and-play functionality. However, considering the need to create a hole in your roof, we always recommend going with an experienced installer, like NRG Clean Power.
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Authored by Ryan Douglas
NRG Clean Power's resident writer and solar enthusiast, Ryan Douglas covers all things related to the clean energy industry.
