Solar Attic Fan Consumer Reports

May 21 2010 09 35 am a whole house fan could save you money.

Solar attic fan consumer reports.

The powerful 40 watt amtrak solar attic fan is another great option that can help you reduce the attic temperature from 150 f to 90 f by extracting all the hot air that is concentrated inside the attic during summer seasons. Amongst all other solar attic fans this is perhaps the most well designed and innovative option you will ever get. It s important to check the specifications carefully because some manufacturers shy away from giving cfm figures. For over 350 a unit it s an affordable option as well.

Whole house fans pull in cool air from open windows and doors and exhaust warm hot air through the attic and roof. Energy star rated solar attic fans still qualify for a federal tax credit of 30 percent of your purchase and installation costs. The attic fan integrates the solar cells into the shell of the vents. A properly sized fan can keep an attic at least 20 degrees cooler than a gravity ventilated attic.

But you ll likely need two fans to make an impact says danny. Having been a heating air conditioning contractor i knew the value of attic exhaust fans. Consumer reports shares information about federal and state tax credits for home solar systems shows you how to get a solar tax credit and explains what you could save on energy costs. Solar attic venting fans generally have a much lower cfm rating than a similarly priced traditional model.

At the third of the price most models come at you can have the amtrak which comes with a 40 watt panel and operates on a daily basis from the moment sunlight reaches it. The problem is that most 120 volt attic exhaust fans are really noisy. And if your attic is cooler your house will stay cooler. If you choose carefully the drawbacks will be slight because an attic fan is a low consumption device anyway.

A single fan typically costs 300 to 600 plus an extra 100 to 150 each for installation. The solar attic fans all moved less than 1 000 cubic feet of air per minute cfm and they did nothing to lower the temperature inside my own attic. The solar attic fan by natural light works well as a cooling solution for homes. This attic fan offers 24 watts and comes with 25 years warranty with a low visual impact which was designed in response to customers demands.

We round up our best solar attic fan with the natural light ultra low profile 24 watt natural light solar attic fan. Although it comes at a more than reasonable price it doesn t sacrifice durability or safety in use. Best solar attic fan for the money.