HouseWindows

House Window Fan

House window fan installations can make homes pleasant and comfortable in warmer months at a fraction of the cost of air conditioning. Although many Americans have air conditioned homes, some people prefer the fresh, natural air that a window fan brings into the house. Air conditioning systems rely on chemicals and an enormous amount of energy, so environmentally conscious people often eschew them as unnecessary pollutants.

Others simply live in places where air conditioning is an impractical expense. In areas of the country where there are very few hot days, installing an expensive cooling system is wasteful. A house window fan is a smart, economical alternative for people who rarely need cooling. Fans also ventilate the home in all types of weather. They are useful for ridding the home of fireplace smoke, cooking odors and warm, stale air. Still others just enjoy the noise from a house window fan at night.

House Fan Placement

Window fans are useful for blowing cool air into the home and for blowing warm air out of the home. Designate an equal number of fans to serve each purpose to strike a balance, or decide which purpose best suits your needs, and install fans accordingly. Homeowners using a house window fan system as an air conditioning alternative will probably want more fans blowing air in. This has the added benefit of creating positive pressure in the home, which prevents warm air, dust and insects from entering through the chimney and open doors.

For maximum cooling and air flow, you will want a fan in each room of the home that sees significant traffic. Bedrooms, living areas and the kitchen need ventilation the most. Fans in bathrooms can also reduce humidity. Before installing window fans, inspect the outside of the house to be sure the fans are not near garbage or parking lots. Fans will blow in the odors and fumes from their surroundings, so place them near trees and shrubs if possible.

Within the home, clear the area directly in the path of the fan breeze. Fans can disrupt papers and knock over valuables if turned on too high. Also be careful not to point fans at the refrigerator and freezer. The breeze can blow the cold air away from an open refrigerator door, forcing the appliance to work harder. The same is true of the heat in an oven: the house window fan will disperse the heat throughout the room, defeating the purpose of cooling fans.

The fans' arrangement in the home can have an impact on how effectively they cool. In single-story homes, place all inward-blowing fans on one side of the house, and all outward-blowing fans on the other to streamline air flow. In two-story homes, place inward-blowing fans on the ground floor and outward-blowing fans on the top floor. As the warm air rises, the top floor fans will blow it out, allowing fresh air to circulate. Keep as many interior doors open as possible so all of the rooms are well-ventilated.

Try to place house window fans in shaded new home windows. Direct sunlight will heat the air coming into the home, leading to less effective cooling. Look at a weather vane or weather reports to determine the prevailing wind direction, and use it to your advantage. Positioning a fan to take in cool breezes from the direction of the wind produces cooler, fresher air.

Cost of Window Fans

Most window fans cost less than $100, and they can be installed as an easy do-it-yourself project. Average central air units cost close to $3,000. A small home may need eight fans total, four blowing out and four blowing in. That many fans cost only one-quarter the price of central air.

At average utility rates, a house window fan costs 14 cents per hour to run. An average central air conditioning units costs 36 cents per hour to run and uses more than double the amount of energy.[1] Aside from the cost, a house window fan cooling system saves a ton of harmful greenhouse emissions.

To get the greatest cooling power, select fans that are as big as the windows will allow. Look for a fan with adjustable side panels that fit the width of the windows to keep bugs and debris out. Always bring the fans in during heavy rain. Moisture can cause electrical shortages that can lead to house fires.

To save money on utility bills, run the fans only when the air outside is cooler than the air inside. Just as a central air unit shuts off when the home reaches a certain temperature, a house window fan should be used to reach optimal cool and then shut off until it is needed again. Close the windows when the house window fan is not in use to keep the cool air inside.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/garden/bringing-in-the-big-fans.html?pagewanted=all Retrieved 2011-09-01