Exploring Newer Features for Heating and Cooling Systems

Boost The Function Of Your Central Air Conditioning With A House Fan

5 August 2015

Jessie Nichols

An AC unit will provide cooling for your home even on the hottest days of the summer, but the problem with an AC unit is that it uses a lot of electricity as compared to other options like a house fan. Thus, in order to boost the function of your cooling system, you might consider installing a house fan to boost the function of your AC unit.

What Is a House Fan?

Whereas a ceiling fan will only circulate air inside your home, a house fan will actually vent heat out of your home. To install a house fan, a contractor will cut through the ceiling of your home to your attic. With a house fan placed in this opening, you can flip a switch and vent heat out of your home through your attic. By ridding your home of heat, a house fan will decrease the load on your AC unit.

Considerations When Installing a House Fan

Because your house fan pumps heat into your attic, you should ensure that you have proper attic ventilation before you install your house fan. You may also need to install an attic fan to push the heat out of your attic. Furthermore, you need to make sure that your house fan is properly sized to vent your home.

How to Operate a House Fan

While you can turn a house fan on during the day to vent heat out of your home, the best time to use a house fan is after outside temperatures begin to fall. You can then open your windows and draw cool air into your home even as you vent heat out. In this way, a house fan can cool a 2,500-sq.-foot home in just twenty minutes. As a further benefit, a house fan will use a fraction of the electricity that an AC unit uses. The reason for this is that you only have to run one fan motor instead of the two fans and an air compressor that make up your AC unit. Thus, by running your house fan from the evening through the morning hours, you can reduce your cooling costs.

An AC is a good way to cool a home, but it is not the only way. While you should not replace your AC unit with a house fan, you can improve the efficiency of your cooling system by using a house fan to boost your savings. Talk to an HVAC contractor, like those at Ice Age Mechanical, to learn more about house fans and determine if this is the right solution for your home.

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About Me

When my heating ventilation and air conditioning system began to hiccup last summer, I feared the worst. The technician who checked it confirmed my fears. If I didn't replace the unit soon, it would be a mighty chilly winter. That spurred me to start looking at new systems. What I found were several features my older unit did not have. The unit that I ultimately settled on automatically switches from heating to cooling based on the temperature setting. I can also reset the thermostat remotely or program it to change settings during the day. Winter turned out to be very comfortable at my house, thanks to that new unit. If you are in the market for a new HVAC system, let's talk. I'll give you some pointers on how to find the right one for your home.