If you have been paying any attention to the weather lately, you may have noticed that there have been record high temperatures in many areas of the country. This does not bode well for poorly ventilated attic spaces, and the living areas below them. Without knowing how to cool attic spaces, outside air comes into the living area of the home, causing higher energy bills. The best way to cool attic spaces is to install solar attic fans. Not only do they efficiently cool the attic, they do so without costing a penny to operate.
Solar powered attic fans use active draft ventilation as opposed to passive draft ventilation used by attic fans that consume residential energy. What this means is that solar fans push hot air through the attic and out the vent, lowering the attic temperature. In contrast, passive draft ventilation pushes hot air through the vents, which creates a draft, but does not actually lower the attic temperature.
When completely under the exposure of the sun, a solar fan moves 850 to 1550 cubic feet per minute. A fan knows just how to cool attic spaces based on the amount of wattage it has. A higher wattage fan will move more air than a lower wattage fan. The wattage necessary for your attic largely depends on the size of it.
To determine the proper amount of attic ventilation you can use an attic fan calculator.
Installing a solar attic fan is also the best way to cool attic spaces because of the savings that will be acquired. A solar fan operates using only the power provided by the sun, completely eliminating the cost of attic ventilation from energy bills.