The Benefits of Attic Fans and How They Work

attic fan

Heat rises and, when you couple that fact with direct sunlight and poor ventilation, it’s no surprise that your attic can be an incredibly hot space.

Having a hot attic may seem ordinary and subsequently like no cause for alarm. But, all that excess heat and moisture could be increasing your air conditioning costs and could even be causing damage to your roof.

Fortunately, overheated attics have a simple fix–attic fans.

Having an attic fan installed in your home could be the solution to several issues that come from a poorly ventilated attic.

If you’re considering having an attic fan installed, but aren’t sure whether it would be right for you and your home, we can help.

Here is everything you need to know about how an attic fan works and how having one installed can benefit you and your home.

How Attic Fans Work

As we said before, heat rises, and when it does it carries humidity that comes from everyday activities like cooking and showering.

On top of that, sunlight hitting your roof can cause the already warm interior of your attic to become even hotter. This extra heat can make the living areas of your home warmer.

If you have a poorly ventilated attic, this warm and moist air becomes trapped.

This humid air can cause damage to any items you have stored in that space, air conditioning units you have installed, or even to the roof itself.

Moist air can bring about mold and mildew and can lead to ice damming on your roof in the winter.

An attic fan works by pulling this hot and humid air up and out of your attic.

Once the warm air is out, intake vents pull cool and dry air from your living space into the attic. This action cools the area down and gets rid of any excess humidity.

The Benefits of an Attic Fan

Installing an attic fan improve ventilation in your home, which creates all sorts of benefits. It can help cut down on moisture in your attic and even lower the temperature throughout your entire home.

Here are a few of the perks you can expect when you add an attic fan to your house.

Keep Your Attic Moisture Free

Excess moisture is never a good thing when it comes to your home. And, it can be especially damaging and even dangerous in your attic.

Moisture in your attic can lead to several minor issues. These small issues can and will become costly, big issues if you don’t take the necessary steps to deal with and prevent them.

Humid air can lead to mold and mildew–something that can be particularly disastrous in an attic.

Mold can lead to allergic reactions and even severe respiratory issues if left untreated. And, because most people don’t spend an awful lot of time in their attics, these infestations can go unnoticed for months.

Depending on where the mold grows, once you find it, it can be costly and time-consuming to clean up.

Additionally, excess moisture in your attic can lead to severe structural damage. And, any sort of damage to the structure of your home can also be expensive and difficult to repair.

Extend the Life of Your Roof

The roof is the most vital feature of any house.

It is also the part of your house that takes the brunt of whatever mother nature decides to throw at you. Because of this, you must do whatever you can to protect your roof.

The heat and moisture that can accumulate in your attic can be damaging to the very structure of your roof. And, over time, this damage can lead to roof failure and costly repairs and even replacements.

By eliminating the extra moisture through the use of an attic fan, you can prolong the life of your roof.

The health of your roof is essential to the well-being of your home. So, protecting it from moisture by installing an attic fan seems like a no-brainer.

Lower Room Temperatures

Your attic may seem separate from the areas where you and your family live. But, as the hottest room in your house, it could be raising the temperature throughout your entire home.

A fact that is especially true in the warmer months.

Because your attic tends to trap heat from the outside as well as the lower floors of your home, the weather outside can affect how hot your attic gets.

If the outdoor temperature rises above 80 degrees, the temperature in your attic could wind up reaching temperatures as high as 150 degrees.

If you have an attic fan, you can reduce the temperature which will, in turn, cool down the rest of your home.

The best part of this is that there is no need to run your fan all day to reap these benefits.

If you run your attic fan only during the hottest part of the afternoon, you can lower the heat in your attic by as much as 50 degrees. And, in doing this, you can reduce the temperature throughout the rest of your house by 10 degrees.

Reduce Your Power Costs

During the warmer months, our air conditioners become a necessity. Unfortunately, running them can wreak havoc on your power bill.

You can likely attribute a lot of the excess heat on the lower floors of your home to poor ventilation in your attic. And, trying to compensate for this extra heat with your AC can lead to you wasting a lot of electricity.

Installing an attic fan can lower the overall temperature of your home. If your home is naturally colder, you won’t have to rely as heavily upon your air conditioner, which could reduce your power bill.

Improving ventilation in your attic will allow air to flow more freely through your home. This improved circulation can lower the temperature, giving your AC a much-needed break.

Installing an Attic Fan

Your home can benefit from the addition of an attic fan all year long.

It can help you stay more comfortable in the Summer to preventing dangerous ice buildup in the winter. An attic fan can even help cut down on your electric bill.

And those are just a few of the perks that come with improving the ventilation in your attic.

If you’re ready to install an attic fan in your home, we can help. Contact us today to get started.