Keeping the indoor climate of cottages and Airbnbs pleasant doesn’t have to break the bank. Solar attic fans are a smart, energy-efficient way to keep cottages and Airbnbs consistently cool, even if someone isn’t always home.
The onset of the summer vacation season and high temperatures is a double whammy for these kinds of properties, which often sit unoccupied for weeks or months at a time. As outdoor temperatures soar into the double digits, heat often accumulates indoors and becomes trapped.
To address this, owners of short-term rental properties traditionally had few options. Airbnb owners would have to leave the air conditioning on all the time. After all, nobody wants to leave a hot and stuffy first impression on guests. However, keeping the AC constantly running can expensive quickly. On the other hand, keeping AC off between guests can cause a variety of other problems. These include allowing humidity to spiral out of control and allowing heat to damage expensive indoor appliances and electronics.
Cottage owners face an even bigger challenge. Many cottages were never built with mechanical ventilation, HVAC or air conditioning in mind. Of course, the indoor heat may have been tolerable decades ago when these properties were first built. But rising global temperatures over the years have changed views of AC from a luxury to a lifesaving necessity. At the same time, retrofitting these buildings to accommodate an air conditioning system can be overly expensive and difficult to justify for a home that’s occupied only seasonally.
In the past, comfort clearly came at a price, even if that comfort is only required occasionally.
Solar Attic Fans Can Deliver Cost-Effective Climate Control
Against a backdrop of rising electricity costs, green energy solutions like solar attic fans are quickly positioning themselves as a viable climate control solution for these kinds of indoor spaces.
Fans like those in iSolar Solutions’ bestselling FLEX line are the perfect solution for cooling vacation homes. Powered solely by the sun, they add nothing to a property’s electricity bills. They switch on automatically as the sun rises, pushing hot air outside throughout the day. Studies have shown this constant circulation can keep interiors up to 10F (5C) cooler between guests. Even if your property has air conditioning for guests, a solar attic fan can drastically reduce the load on an AC unit and prevent premature wear and tear. This keeps your property cool before guests arrive and lowers electricity costs while it is occupied.
Most buildings come with built-in ventilation ports. But anyone who has stayed in a cottage in the sweltering summer heat will tell you these simply aren’t enough! These passive vents lack mechanical parts, and rely on differences in air pressure to circulate air out outside. They may be enough to satisfy local building codes, but aren’t enough to help you beat the heat. In order to achieve adequate airflow for cooling, all of the indoor air must be cycled out at least 6-10 times per hour! Without mechanical help, there is simply no way to achieve this level of airflow.
For vacation property owners, solar attic fans can effectively bridge the gap between passive ventilation and full HVAC systems. They provide the consistent airflow needed to truly cool a space, without the noise, cost, or complexity of traditional solutions.
And installing one takes as little as 15 minutes. The fans in iSolar Solutions’ FLEXLine up in particular are especially easy to install, as they are the only retrofit ready models on the market. This means they fit easily into most existing vent holes, with no extra modifications needed.
Because they lack complicated wiring, most local contractors can handle the job. There’s no need to stress about finding a local electrician.
Are there other benefits for vacation properties?
Solar attic fans do much more than just push out hot air. They also protect building interiors from humidity, mold and rot by constantly pushing out moisture laden air.
Cottages are particularly vulnerable to the effects of moisture. They often have less insulation than regular homes and sit unoccupied for entire seasons. Without proper ventilation, hot and humid air traps moisture indoors. This creates ideal conditions for condensation to accumulate, and for mold to grow. For guests, exposure to mold can cause a variety of health issues, especially for those with asthma, allergies and autoimmune disorders. In extreme cases, mold can make an entire property uninhabitable, making a complete tear down the only option.
By ventilating out humid, moisture laden air, solar attic fans keep your property’s interior dry and inhospitable to mold.
To learn more about how a solar attic fan can keep your vacation property stay dry, cool and healthy for your guests, reach out to one of our knowledgeable sales staff today!
