With the San Joaquin Valley summer blazing away outside, you probably spend ample time considering ways to stay cool in your home. To many people, that means cranking up the air conditioning. Modern air conditioning provides efficient cooling, but often comes with a high energy price tag. Don’t forget the power and economy of a few good ventilation fans while you’re looking to stretch those cooling dollars. Adding ventilation fans to the mix creates a more efficient, money-saving, whole-house solution.
Ventilation fans that can help you reduce heat retention in your house include:
- Attic ventilation fans. Hot air and heat energy has a tendency to rise and get trapped in the attic, making cooling efforts less effective. If the attic gets too hot, it can even cause damage to your roof. You can solve this by making sure your attic has adequate soffit and rafter vents, and installing a ventilation fan near the roof ridge to draw in cooler air from outside and expel the hot air.
- Kitchen exhaust fans. Cooking generates a lot of unnecessary heat and moisture inside the home that can raise the temperature very quickly. Over time, the moisture also can cause damage or nurture mold that degrade the air quality inside the home. You can avoid a hot summer kitchen by installing a proper hood ventilation system and fan over the stove, expelling all of the hot air and moisture outside.
- Bathroom exhaust fans. The bathroom is another place where excess heat and moisture can build up when not properly vented. Anywhere heat and moisture are allowed to collect, there’s a chance for unsightly mold or mildew to form. Plus the more heat that’s not vented, the warmer your house gets, and the longer your air conditioner has to run to keep things cool. This means it costs more money.
Exhaust fans are less expensive to run than air conditioning because the fans don’t draw nearly as much electricity. They help keep your house cool, because they vent heat at its source, before it can travel through the rest of your home.
Anything that gives your hard-working A/C a break is a positive addition to your Fresno area home. Please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning for more expert advice on ventilation fans and cooling your house.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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