Comments for Save Thousands with a New House Fan at http://www.ecogeek.org , comment 1 to 8 out of 8 comments http://www.ecogeek.org Sun, 08 Nov 2009 08:46:23 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6717 You're right to do the foam board. I do a reasonable amount of DIY. That was scratched off the "honey do" list by getting the new fan. In any event, part of my issue was that I live in the DC area and there can be periods where the fan is relevant for two days, then I need cooling (or heating) for several days, and then there the fan is relevant, then not relevant for a month, then releveant for a week. It is a big plus that this remains ready to be activited 24/7/365 without my having to do anything. Thus, if in December, there is an afternoon (thank you Global Warming) at 75 degrees with the night predicted for 40, I could use the fan in the afternoon to warm the house, freshen the air, and reduce my nighttime heating load. - A Siegel . Thu, 01 Nov 2007 09:22:57 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6704 Good points and review. Also cools the roof for longer life and much less (or no) heat radiating from above, a big plus. Use at night is common when it is cooler, best to pull air from low on the house where it is coolest. We live in MI w/o AC and do fine. Thanks for the info we may change out our old fan also. Looks like a nice design depending on cost. Although we are able to pull a glued stack of TuffR foam board over the hole on ours from thru the fan by hand at the start of the winter with foam seals around the edge. - Vin Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:37:58 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6701 What's the dif. between WHF and Attic fans? - James Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:36:18 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6695 1. Draw is adequate. Really, WHFs (this and others) will speak to power of fan unit and house. Almost certainly, my previous one was undersized. For as humid a region as DC is, the AirScape1700 is probably under powered but works to make the house more comfortable. 2. Part of path is 'strategy'. Fan on at night, pulling in cooler air/cooling house. Shades over windows to reduce sun. Perhaps, if someone is home, air conditioning might become required mid/late afternoon (to cut humidity and slightly reduce temperature). Since having the fan, very few occasions of 24 hour air conditioning. 3. To be clear, we are talking about WHFs rather than attic fans. 4. Good points re US vs Europe, and support point about insulation / air leaks. If there is bad insulation and significant air leakage, you're wasting power no matter the heating path. (And, well, I prefer -- for comfort and energy efficiency reasons -- radiant systems over forced air, but that is another issue.) 4. Interesting point about 'natural ventilation'. When conditions are windy/windier, the house fan generally is not required. But, my home at least, there is not always enough natural air flow to rely on nature. (But, to be clear, the fan is not on 24/7/365.) - A Siegel . Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:57:11 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6694 This is a a great tip most people wouldn't immediately think of - I've posted a link at GreenDeals Daily (http://GreenDealsDaily.com). - JP Wed, 31 Oct 2007 11:36:14 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6692 If your house gets cold really fast when the furnace turns off, you need more insulation :) Sure, the radiators and the water in them add thermal mass, but if you had lots of thermal mass they'd probably be a pretty small contributor. And you'll be paying for ducts for cooling anyway. On another note, I'm not sure how general my limited observations are, but in the US where I live it is very common for multi-tennant buildings to have windows on only one side of a unit, even in the case of, for example, the one I live in, where every unit is a corner unit and could have windows on two sides for better passive ventilation. You need to set up fans. Three out of three places I stayed while on vacation in Germany had full natural cross-ventilation, windows on opposite sides. - Michael Pereckas Wed, 31 Oct 2007 09:58:26 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6682 Hi, just wondering... it seems like wherever one goes in the US the ventilation systems are based on active movement of air. In Europe, water based radiators and passive air ventilation is much more common. In my experience, air based heating needs to be active all the time to work - when it's turned off it gets cold really fast - whereas water based radiators conserve the heat in the system and also create a much more even temperature... Why go for air based in areas where the summers aren't really so hot that you need active cooling? Am I missing something here? - P Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:10:28 +0100 http://www.ecogeek.org/computing-and-gadgets/1103#comment-6679 I know you said that you saw a marked decrease in AC usage, but how does the draw in feel? My parents, both from upper midwest so raised w/o AC, are both big proponents of the attic fan. Their new house is a ranch as opposed to a two story... long story short, the attic fan works only for one end of the new house and doesn't draw in that well (the artificial breeze is part of the perceived cooling) even when windows and doors are selectively opened. So, is this modern version a marked improvement in the artificial breeze? - James Tue, 30 Oct 2007 22:37:00 +0100