How to Select the Right Whole House Fan
Whole house fans are a great addition to any home. Whether you’re looking to replace or supplement your air conditioner or reduce the humidity and air pollution in your home, you can’t go wrong with a whole house fan.
Although the initial purchase price may make you hesitate, remember that a whole house fan will always save you money in the long run. They reduce your electricity bill and keep moisture levels down, eliminating mold and rot and preventing costly repairs.
Now that you’re ready to purchase your whole house fan, you must be wondering about all of the options ahead of you, and there are quite a lot. You don’t want to purchase just any fan and be left with one that isn’t right for your home. So how do you choose the right whole house fan? Read on to find out!
Size
Size is a crucial component when selecting the right whole house fan. The size of your whole house fan should reflect the size of your house and the amount of air in your home. A fan that is too small for your home won’t properly ventilate your home and a fan that’s too big is unnecessary and can even cause pressurization issues up in the attic.
Cubic feet per minute (CFM) is a common measurement that determines how much air a given whole house fan can move. The rule of thumb is that you want a whole house fan to have a CFM that is at least twice your square footage. But if you have very high ceilings, you’ll need even more.
However, if you want to ensure your home has the best ventilation possible, you can go higher. Double your square footage for good ventilation, and multiply it by 2.5 for even better ventilation. If you want the best ventilation, triple it. Therefore, if you have 2,000 sq ft in your home, aim for 4,000 to 6,000 CFM.
Noise
The whole house fans of your parents and grandparents may have been loud, but there are plenty of quiet options available now. At wholehousefans.com, we only sell fans that are built to operate as quietly as possible.
Choose ducted whole house fans with a low decibel rating of 51 or below that specify quiet operation.
Energy-Efficient
One of the benefits of whole house fans is that they don’t use as much energy as AC. Therefore, when browsing for the right whole house fan, look out for energy efficient fans. Of course, if you have a lot of square footage, you’ll need a bigger, more powerful fan; however, you can still find whole house fans that use are energy efficient. When possible, try to stay under a 1000 Watts. For example, the Quiet Cool ES-7000 has a CFM of 6878 on high but only uses 727 Watts.
Controls
Remote controls make installation and remotely controlling your fan easy.
If you have any questions about the size of the whole house fan for your home, give us a call Toll Free at 1.888.229.5757, and we’ll be glad to help!