Whole House Fan: How It Works and Its Benefits

Whole house fan in ceiling

A whole house fan is a fantastic add-on to your house cooling strategy. Installed in your attic or roof, it works by pulling air into your house through open windows and pushing it out through your attic. It cools your home by moving cool air in and hot air out.

How Does a Whole House Fan Work?

A whole house fan works by creating negative pressure. How does this cool your house? The fan pulls air in through open windows, filling your home with fresh, cool, outdoor air. As the negative pressure in your house builds, it creates positive pressure in the attic. As the pressure in the attic builds, it releases by forcing air out the soffits in your eaves or other vents installed in the attic. This creates a cooling effect throughout your home. The rooms where the windows are open will feel it the most.

What Are the Benefits of a Whole House Fan?

Are you still feeling the heat this summer? As much as we love our air conditioning, there are some fantastic alternatives.

Related: Find a few in this blog.

Here are just a few whole-house fan benefits:

  • They work quickly to cool off your home by pulling cool air in through open windows and pushing hot air out through the attic
  • They’re energy-efficient, using significantly less than a traditional air conditioner
  • Whole house fans are environmentally friendly, using little electricity and no refrigerants to cool your home
  • They provide constant circulation of the air in your home, keeping it fresh and removing odors from cooking, pets, smoke and household cleaners
  • If installed properly, they run quietly and last for years

Whole House Fan vs. Attic Fan: What’s the Difference?

There are many similarities between a whole-house fan and an attic fan. While both work to cool spaces in your home, they do serve different purposes. A whole house fan draws cool air in through the windows and can bring down the temperature of your house significantly in less than an hour, depending on the external temperature. An attic fan’s primary job is exhausting hot air out of your attic space. Both HVAC accessories can help lower your energy use and cool your home, but a whole-house fan has a more immediate impact on the temperature of your whole house. Hence the name.

Count on Aire Serv for Reliable Installation

Proper installation of your whole house fan is critical for it to function properly. Poor installation can lead to a noisy fan and less effective cooling. The team at Aire Serv has extensive experience in all areas of home heating and cooling, including whole-house fan installation. Request an appointment online or call today for a whole-house fan installation estimate.