Easy To Install Solar Attic
Fans
What could be better than using the energy from the sun to provide the power for solar attic fans to keep your house cool? Although they cost a bit more initially than old fashioned attic exhaust fans, if you get a solar powered one, you save right away because the installation is easier. No need to connect the fan to your household current. They are completely self-contained. And, of course, you never have to pay for the electricity that runs them, because they run on sunshine. We were surprised to find such a wide variety of solar powered fans available. Here is a sampling:
 The Big Frog Mountain Solar Attic Fan has a list price of $449 but it is currently seen on sale for $339. Protected by a 25-year warranty, the direct current motor gets its juice from a solar panel that mounts on your roof at the angle best suited for catching the maximum sun exposure. It will draw up to 850 cubic feet of hot attic air per minute, and it is recommended to have one fan for every 1200 feet of attic space.
Priced a bit lower at about $200 is the Aura Solar Attic Fan. This unit runs with hybrid technology, making use of both solar and wind power to operate. This means even if the day is too cloudy for the sun to charge the solar panel, if there is any wind blowing it will turn the blades for climate control in your attic. Of course the savings comes not only from not having to power the fan but also from having to use less air conditioning.
If you had told us you could get a solar powered venting fan for less than $30 we would probably not have believe it was true until we saw a remarkable little 3-inch fan listed for sale on a popular internet online auction site. They say it can be used to cool houses, sheds, RVs, boats or even outhouses. There is no wiring, batteries or electricity to hook up. All you do is cut a hole in a wall or roof and mount it with the supplied hardware. We also saw a similar but larger, 12-inch solar powered fan selling for just under $50 that is more suitable for cooling off larger spaces.
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