There are a lot of ways to cool your house in the hot summer months.  You can use central cooling or a small window-mounted air conditioner.  You can also use space fans.  But one way to help prevent your house from getting hot in the first place is with attic fans. When it comes to attic fans there are two options, of which you can choose one, the other, or both: gable attic fans, and whole house attic fans.

Gable Attic Fans

Gable attic fans are the most typical attic fans.  They are mounted on the inside of your attic and expel air outside.  They suck the hot air that accumulates in your attic and shoots it out, helping to prevent your attic from getting too hot, which would, in turn, heat your house up.  As you can see in the image to the left, the gable fan installs on the inner wall, also called a gable wall, and shoots air through the decorative grate, also called a louver. These fans typically have a timer or temperature gauge that turns the fan on and off.  The gable attic fan is definitely the more inexpensive option, and it's easier to install.

Whole House Fan

Whole house fans are mounted in your ceiling, usually in the central area of your house.  They connect the living space with your attic.  The idea behind the whole house fan is that it draws hot air from your house into your attic.  When this happens it causes your house to become slightly pressurized, which draws air in through the windows if they're open.  You can see in the image to the left that the whole house attic fan has insulated doors that close and open when the fan is either not being used, or in operation. But to be really sure you're covering all your bases, both attic fans, working together, are better.  The whole house attic fan pulls hot air from the living space in your house, and pushes it into the attic.  Then the gable attic fan pulls the hot air in the attic and expels it outside. Need an attic fan? Not sure? Not sure if yours is working properly? Give us a call! Written by: Lawrence Electric - Walnut Creek, CA