Solar attic fans reduce extreme attic heat during hot Georgia summers. That’s exactly why our cooler winter season is the best time to install one. In the heat of the summer, attic temperatures soar to 150 degrees—definitely not the ideal time to be up in the attic installing an exhaust fan. Solar exhaust fans boost your attic’s inadequate passive ventilation system, increasing the airflow between soffit vents and roof vents and reducing temperatures as much as 40 degrees.

Getting the job done now positions you to derive a number of benefits next summer when temperatures soar:

• Acute heat concentrated in the attic conducts through ceilings and can raise the temperature in rooms directly below as much as 10 degrees. This offsets the effect of your air conditioner, causing it to run longer to meet thermostat settings and use more energy. Reducing attic temperatures to 100 degrees or below may result in as many as 10 percent fewer “on” cycles of the central air conditioner during an average summer day.
• Excessive heat in the attic also deteriorates wooden structural components. Sub-roofing exposed to continuous high temperatures may buckle, eventually resulting in roof leaks.
• In addition to heat, humid air accumulates in under-ventilated attics. When the air cools at night, condensation soaks attic insulation, degrading its ability to stop heat transfer into the house and providing an environment for mold growth. Condensation also affects the wooden structure of the attic, increasing the probability of warping and wood rot. A solar attic fan exhausts humid air, reducing nighttime condensation.
• Solar attic fans operate entirely off the sun’s energy during daylight, the hours of greatest heat concentration in the attic. Installation requires no wiring and, since solar power means zero operating cost, all savings from reducing attic heat are returned directly to the homeowner.

Powers Heating & Air serves the Atlanta metro area with HVAC sales and service for year-round comfort. Ask us about more advantages of installing solar attic fans this winter.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about solar attic fans and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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