| | | quote | | Originally posted by twofatguys: Had to hook up the window A/C today, was 90 today.
Wasn't it just Christmas last week or so?
There goes the electric bill  (can't be helped my wifes meds mean we have to have a decent temp in the house).
Brad |
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I just finished installing a power gable attic vent fan about a week ago. Previously I just had three turbine types (whirlybirds) and the attic temps were 130+. They were just not enough to do the job. I had some pretty high electric bills last June, July, and August.
I had plenty of soffitt vents to feed more ventilation, so I got the biggest fan, and automatic louver system they had at the Home Depot. I had to do some carpentry work up in the attic to frame in the fan, but it was not that tough. I also had to run a new power line up to the attic, but I just tapped off of a circuit in the garage that only had two wall sockets on a 15A circuit. Had to cut a 20" square hole in the side of the gable too. Once installed, I set the thermostat fan switch to kick on at 75 degrees F.
I cannot believe the difference its making already in house temperatures. It stays cooler later, and the load on the central A/C has been reduced considerably. Just doing some preliminary math, I wll save $50 a month on electricity during the hot months, and that is above the cost of running the vent fan. The A/C only had to run for a few minutes during the late afternoon the last couple of days.
Also, having the attic temperatures cooler will be less hard on shingles, and they will last longer. So far, the new system is operating without a hitch, and no problems with water incursion during the last storms. I did use about two tubes of caulk to seal the edges of the automatic louvers though. I made it so the whole thing will be easy to service as well. I installed a power switch in the garage that cuts the power to the fan system if I need if off for any reason.
Just a suggestion to cut A/C electrical use, that you may want to consider. I spent about $200 on the fan and louvers, so system payback will happen before the end of this year.
