We all know that our energy consumption has a huge impact on the environment (yay-yah-yah). We all also know that we ought to be doing whatever we can to reduce green house gases. But it sometimes takes a little bit of effort and this effort can be a tad inconvenient. Yes? Yes. Absolutely. Glad we agree. Thank you.
The question is, are solar attic fans worth the cost? Are they worth the price of shipping AND installation cost? Maybe. It depends on you and your motivation to “save the planet”. Perhaps you will feel less guilty knowing you are “doing your part” to be a conscientiously environmental person. Will that make you feel better?
The fact is, the planet is not in danger: WE ARE. Here’s why: The planet has been through billions of years of asteroid bombardments, the extinction of countless life forms, major transformations over and over again. (the list goes on). Thus, the planet earth has proved itself and it is not going to disappear anytime soon. But humans may, and it may be sooner than we would like to acknowledge while we drink our fancy coffees in the morning sitting comfortably in our modern air-conditioned, well heated homes – with our automatic dish-washers and big-screen entertainment units.
Anyway, is it worth the effort and cost to implement solar roof fans to your roof to drastically reduce attic ventilation costs and reduce green house gases? That is the question. Here’s the good news: solar attic fans, or attic roof fans not only “save the earth” but they can also save you money as well. How?
Well, if your house is very hot during the summer, especially in the upper bedroom floors, it is almost assured that the reason for the extra hotness is directly related to poor attic or roof ventilation, or roof or attic insulation. A solar attic/roof fan can easily stop this from happening.
If you are not interested in taking the time, cost, or effort to have an solar attic fan installed to your home, that may be a good decision because other alternative are available such as baffled ridge vent roof ventilation. If you ARE interested, here are some excellent pointers to help you get on the right track when deciding on a solar roof fan.
Many attic solar fans (or roof solar fans) are available. Most are basic and really do not cover the cost and most are quite poor at absorbing the sun’s power. Another extremely important point is to NOT NEED a solar attic fan because there are very amazing wind-driven fans that are much more effective depending on the design of your roof.
When do you REALLY need an solar attic fan?
You only truly need a solar attic fan when the design of your roof is very high-sloped, or with not much ridge area. Why? Because the higher the pitch or slope of a roof, the more difficult is is for fresh air to move up and outwards. If your roof is low-sloped, you may not need a solar attic fan.
In conclusion: Contact a professional roof insulation, attic ventilation expert and be sure that your attic is thoroughly inspected BEFORE buying any solar attic fan.
