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Solar Attic Vent

	Solar Attic Fan with 25-year Warranty! List Price: $449.00 Sale Price: $337.00 Average Rating:
	Solar Attic Fans are easily installed and a great product for proper attic ventilation. Natural Light brand solar attic fans are top rated by builders and are the highest quality built in the USA! The DC motor is powered by the included solar panel with the attic fan motor moving hot air and moisture out of the attic space everyday...

Solar Attic Fan 20-watt with 25-year warranty Sale Price: $474.95 Average Rating:

Natural Light 20-watt Solar Attic Fan Features: The environmentally sensible solution that can protect your home and save you money! EASY INSTALLATION - NO WIRING ? Reduces cooling load on AC units ? Operates on free solar energy ? Adjustable solar panel ? Three models available to fit all roof types ? Powder coated aircraft grade aluminum ? Best warranty in the industry 25-year warranty on solar panel 25-year warranty on housing 25-year warranty on motor Warranty from Natural Light...

	12" Aura Solar Attic Fan Sale Price: $220.00 Average Rating:
	The Aura Solar Fan is a solar attic fan that has hybrid technology. The ASF uses both solar and wind power for optimum ventilation performance. Other solar powered attic fans do not move air by wind power but the ASF does, just like a roof turbine ventilator (Whirly-Bird) but with no moving parts...

	Cool Attic CX1600 Gable Mount Power Attic Ventilators with 4.5-Amp 60-Hz Motor and 14-Inch Blade List Price: $83.00 Sale Price: $62.00 Average Rating:
	1600 CFM heavy duty gable mount attic exhaust ventilator. Galvanized steel construction. Suitable for 2400 sq. ft. attic. 4.5A thermally protected motor. Includes 15A adjustable thermostat. 14'' fan blade...

I am installing an attic fan...?

It is a solar, roof mounted, not a gable. Anyhow, after cutting the hole, I noticed that the roof is thick with shingles from previous work. It's seriously almost an inch of material on top of the wood. Ideally, I know i should slide the vent flashing between the tar paper and the wood, but if I do so, it will create a full inch gap halfway down where it goes from under the shingles, to on top and make the fan sit unevenly.

In my "professional" opinion, you shouls remove all shingles to the plywood, and install a new shingle roof, or I will do it for 125.00 a square installed. Or 1.25 per foot.
It will look neater, cleaner, and your roof is only allowed three layers of shingle, the law dictates more then three layers is a fire violation.

Why Choose an Attic Solar Fan over an Electric Powered One?

The attic is typically a quite problematic area in the home. Have you noticed how through the warmer months of the year the attic is hot enough to fry bacon in (without a pan)? During summertime, heat from the sun radiates to the shingles of the roof, from there to the attic, and from the attic to the entire home. Unfortunately this problem cannot be solved by simply waiting for the sun to go down, as the attic stays hot for much longer after. Having insulation slows the progress without eliminating heat entirely. A solar attic fan will ventilate the attic area without running up the energy bill or running the money out of your pocket.

Types of Ventilation: Passive v. Active

Passive Draft Air Convection

The type of ventilation an attic house fan provides plays a major role in the efficiency of the system as well as the energy usage in your home and what it costs. Gable vents, ridge vents, and dormer vents fall into the category of passive, or natural, ventilation. What this means is that as the hot air in the attic rises, it should pass through the vents to produce a natural draft through the attic. However, this method is not effective in lowering the attic temperature. Turbine vents are just as unsuccessful in properly ventilating the attic, as they are not capable of moving much air, experience mechanical issues regularly, and depend on wind to provide power.

Active Draft Air Convection

Attic solar fans are placed in the category of active attic ventilation. Air coming from outside is pushed through the attic and out of the vent. Through this method, attic air is exchanged more frequently every hour as opposed to the method of passive ventilation. These fans are capable of providing cool air to the entire attic space all through the day, as they bring on more of an air draft throughout the attic. In addition, the process of active draft air convection allows the solar attic fan to provide the attic with cool air during the entire day.

Choosing the right Solar Ventilation Fans

Solar ventilation fans can be placed in two categories of performances: 10 watt and 20 watt or higher fans. While the 10 watt solar attic fan is less expensive than the higher wattage fans, it is capable of moving only 850 CFM at the most. These fans are ideal for attic spaces that cover 1200 square feet at the most. If you have an attic that covers more square feet, you can choose to either purchase many low wattage solar attic fans or install a higher wattage fan for the attic.

The amount of air moved by lower wattage fans is fairly minute when compared to the maximum 1550 CFM of airflow the higher wattage attic solar fans can handle once fully exposed to the sun. These solar ventilation fans are more suitable for the average home, since the attic covers more than 1200 square feet. The DC motor on the solar attic house fan is powered by a small panel. The 20-25 watt panel is activated once it has been exposed to sunlight.

Environmental and Financial Benefits

The common attic house fan is generated using residential energy. Solar ventilation fans are powered entirely by the sun. This lessens the burden on your energy supply at home. The attic will continue to stay well ventilated, as these fans minimize the amount of spaces that require cooling. Having a well-ventilated attic allows you to better control the temperature in the home. The need to change the thermostat settings will be greatly reduced, as the attic will no longer be releasing warm or cold air into the rest of the house, allowing you to save energy in the home.

Energy savings in the home translate to savings on the energy bill. The money saved is the money that has been used to power a fan in your attic that is not really providing enough ventilation. The solar attic fan costs absolutely nothing to operate. The fans move a maximum 1550 CFM of attic air once fully exposed to the sun. While the exact amount of savings is dependent upon factors including climate, electricity rates, and attic size, the average attic solar fans pay for themselves after a period of 1-2 summers.

Solving the problem of proper attic ventilation does not have to be a difficult task. A solar attic fan is powered entirely by the sun. The energy provided by the sun does not add to the burden on your energy supply. By reducing the amount of energy used, you are also decreasing amount of emissions from your home. In addition, attic solar fans ventilate the attic without costing you a penny. You can rest easy knowing that the attic is not sending burning hot air into the home, and the energy bill is no longer burning a hole in your wallet.

About the Author

Conservation Mart strives to be a one stop shop for weatherization products, energy efficiency and water saving products. We serve customers such as home owners, businesses, contractors, weatherization agencies, housing authorities and government agencies. We pride ourselves in delivering conservation technologies to help reduce residential and commercial energy and water use and in educating stakeholders on the benefits of energy and water efficiency.

	Solar Attic Fan with 25-year Warranty! List Price: $449.00 Sale Price: $337.00 Average Rating:
	Solar Attic Fans are easily installed and a great product for proper attic ventilation. Natural Light brand solar attic fans are top rated by builders and are the highest quality built in the USA! The DC motor is powered by the included solar panel with the attic fan motor moving hot air and moisture out of the attic space everyday...

Solar Attic Fan 20-watt with 25-year warranty Sale Price: $474.95 Average Rating:

Natural Light 20-watt Solar Attic Fan Features: The environmentally sensible solution that can protect your home and save you money! EASY INSTALLATION - NO WIRING ? Reduces cooling load on AC units ? Operates on free solar energy ? Adjustable solar panel ? Three models available to fit all roof types ? Powder coated aircraft grade aluminum ? Best warranty in the industry 25-year warranty on solar panel 25-year warranty on housing 25-year warranty on motor Warranty from Natural Light...

	12" Aura Solar Attic Fan Sale Price: $220.00 Average Rating:
	The Aura Solar Fan is a solar attic fan that has hybrid technology. The ASF uses both solar and wind power for optimum ventilation performance. Other solar powered attic fans do not move air by wind power but the ASF does, just like a roof turbine ventilator (Whirly-Bird) but with no moving parts...

	Cool Attic CX1600 Gable Mount Power Attic Ventilators with 4.5-Amp 60-Hz Motor and 14-Inch Blade List Price: $83.00 Sale Price: $62.00 Average Rating:
	1600 CFM heavy duty gable mount attic exhaust ventilator. Galvanized steel construction. Suitable for 2400 sq. ft. attic. 4.5A thermally protected motor. Includes 15A adjustable thermostat. 14'' fan blade...

Solar attic fan