Facts and FAQs

Solar-Powered Ventilation Systems

A Solar Attic Fan harnesses solar power to remove extreme heat in residential attic spaces in order to reduce energy use, increase comfort and prolong the life expectancy of roofing materials and air-conditioners.

The solar-powered attic fan provides different benefits in summer and winter:

In summer it reduces attic temperatures. This helps cool the home, allowing for less use of expensive high-energy cost air conditioning (AC).

In winter the Solar Attic Fan reduces rot, mildew and mold. As hot air cools on contact with roofing materials, moisture condenses leading to development of rot, mildew and mold—all of which can cause serious damage. The solar attic fan actively improves attic air circulation and helps reduce rot and growth of mold and mildew. The Solar Attic Fan also helps reduce ice dam formation on eaves troughs. In poorly ventilated attics, heated air causes snow and ice to melt from the roof and run down to the eaves where it freezes again, forming hazardous ice dams. This can also cause interior water damage. Increased ventilation from the solar attic fan decreases the chance of ice damming.

Most houses built before 1984 will see greater energy savings due to lower attic insulation requirements.

The Solar Attic Fan extends life of roofing materials. Asphalt shingles are designed to withstand abuse from the sun over many years, though they are subjected to damaging temperatures as a result of an over-heated attic. The greater ventilation offered by the Solar Attic Fan lowers attic temperatures, extending the life of roofing materials.

As the Solar Attic Fan operates, the draw on air-conditioning diminishes, resulting in a longer life span of the air-conditioner.

Wholesale Purchasing (for Contractors): As a home improvement contractor of roofing, insulation or any other attic related solutions your company can acquire our product via our wholesale price list (available upon setting up an account with a submission on our Contact page).

Online Purchasing (for Homeowners): for direct to home owner purchases there are a few options such as www.amazon.ca, www.wayfair.ca or contacting your local roofing, insulation and attic ventilation contractor. It is recommended that a professional contractor install your solar attic fan. Below are some links to some of our Contractor partners:

Florida: https://solarsmartvents.com

Ontario: https://atticvent.ca

Indigenous: https://onepointfive.ca

Absolutely! Extensive studies of the Solar Attic Fan’s performance have been completed and the tests are positive. In the past, the engineering community had expressed concerns that the Solar Attic Fan could potentially create negative pressure in homes with well insulated attics. This has been proven to be inaccurate. The Solar Attic Fan moves a range of cubic feet per minute (CFM) when operating at peak sunlight. This is about the same amount of air movement that occurs when one uses bathroom fans or stove top fans. It has been proven that there is no risk of creating an imbalance of pressure between the conditioned space of the house and the attic, especially with the appropriate level of soffit venting.

It has been proven that the Solar Attic Fan, in addition to reducing the risk of mold in the attic, is capable of reducing thermal heat transfer from the attic to the conditioned house space resulting in savings due to decreased air conditioning.

Most homes are constructed with passive ventilation systems that rely on natural convection to provide sufficient air pressure for circulation and ventilation. In many jurisdictions, passive units are used to meet minimum building code requirements, but solar-powered units are used to actively improve home comfort with no increase to the electricity bill.

Yes, there are alternatives such as wind-powered roof fans, and electrically powered roof fans. However, neither have the benefits of Solar Attic Fans:

  • While the Solar Attic Fan provides active circulation and ventilation on hot summer days, wind-powered units fail on the most uncomfortable summer days when there is no breeze at all.
  • Electrically powered roof fans seem comparable with solar-powered units. But, while the solar-powered unit decreases electricity costs (as it is powered by the sun), the electrically powered unit increases electricity bills.
  • Electrically powered roof fans have caused house fires.
    Can it be installed anywhere on my roof?

The Solar Attic Fan is expertly designed for installation in three different rooftop methods: gable-end, soffit installations, and easy retrofitting of existing or new roof vent.

We recommend the Solar Attic Fan be installed by a professional who is licensed to work on a roof. It will take less than 1 hour.

For your convenience, we are able to assist directly with inquiries about servicing your Solar Attic Fan. Please contact us for service and warranty inquiries or if you any questions. We will get back to you as quickly as possible.

Yes. The Solar Attic Fan is designed to lower peak energy usage when this relief is needed most. The beauty of the Solar Attic Fan is that it automatically adjusts the fan speed to the amount of available sunlight and, therefore, the amount of heat building up in your attic. The objective is to make the Solar Attic Fan as simple as possible and to avoid unnecessary and bulky additions such as batteries, extra solar panels, and regulator components.

Also, because the Solar Attic Fan is designed simply to remove excess heat in summer and moisture in winter, no timers or controls are needed. In late winter and early spring, when ice damming is likely to happen in an attic because of moisture, the fan will become more exposed to sunlight as the snow melts and will remove excess moisture, which will help the roof last longer. Air movement will help reduce the condensation as well as reducing the possibility of mold and rot within the attic*.

*Winter operation when thermal switch is off.

If the venting intake is properly designed the air flows in through the lower, soffit venting, and then through the Solar Attic Fan. The Solar Attic Fan will not cause a furnace to work harder unless there is a badly leaking ceiling between the living space and the attic space. In many areas, the snow will also cover the solar panel during the coldest winter months, meaning that the Solar Attic Fan will not be on needlessly and would not move extra air through your attic space when it’s not needed. Finally, if the sun is out and the snow has melted enough to uncover the solar panel along with much of the roof of your home, the attic space in your roof will actually already be heating up to temperatures where the Solar Attic Fan can be helpful. The fan will automatically start moving excess hot air out of the attic and will power down when no longer needed—when the sun sets and there is no excess heat in the attic space. It’s that simple: it will work precisely as engineered*.

*Winter operation when the thermal switch is off.

How does the Solar Attic Fan help electric utility companies achieve their conservation targets?

  • Minimizes air-conditioner activation
  • Flattens peak electricity usage when electricity prices are highest
  • Reduces annual energy consumption (when a/c activated)
  • Since the Solar Attic Fan is off-grid (not hard-wired) it helps flatten peak electricity usage when electricity prices are highest
  • Minimizes air-conditioner activation
  • Flattens peak electricity usage when electricity prices are highest
  • Reduces annual energy consumption (when a/c activated)
  • Since the Solar Attic Fan is off-grid (not hard-wired) it helps flatten peak electricity usage when electricity prices are highest

Product Guide

Click the image below to view the full guide.

Solar Powered Attic Fan

Installation Guide and CheckList

Recommended Solar Attic Ventilation Air Flow Rates Per Square Feet Of Attic Area

According to the Home Ventilation Institute, these are the recommended ventilation rates for attics using Powered Attic Ventilators:
Powered attic ventilators – PAVs
Powered attic ventilators should provide at least 10 air changes per hour. Multiplying the total square footage of the attic by 0.7 will provide the rate required. For particularly dark or steep roofs, we recommend a slightly higher rating.

Attic area in square feetCFM required+15% for dark/steep roofs
1,000 square feet700 CFM805 CFM
2,000 square feet1,400 CFM1,610 CFM
3,000 square feet2,100 CFM2,415 CFM

The air being exhausted must be replaced by outside air drawn through vents under the eaves in the soffit. To calculate the total minimum soffit vent intake area in square inches, divide the CFM of the PAV by 300 and multiply the result by 144.

Determining Quantity of Attic Fans to Install

  1. For single story (bungalow):
    a. If less than 1000 square feet, install (1) 19W-MOD fan.
    b. If greater than 1000 square feet install (1-2) 19W-MOD fans.
    c. If greater than 2000 square feet install (2-3) 19W-MOD fans or (1-2) 18W-INT
    fans.
  2. For two story:
    a. If less than 2000 square feet, install one to two (1-2) 19W-MOD fans or (1) 18W-INT fan.
    b. If greater than 2000 square feet, install two (2-3) 19W-MOD fans or 1-2 18WINT fans or (1) 40W-INT fan.
    c. If greater than 3000 square feet, install two to three (2) 18W-INT fans or (1) 40W-INT fan
  3. For semi-detached or townhouse:
    a. Install one (1-2) 19W-MOD fans or (1) 18W-INT fan

Important:

Solar Attic Fan quantity on any roof should not exceed 1/3 of the number of existing passive vents;
Two Solar Attic Fans should never be installed too close to each other (at least 15 feet apart); and
It is important to spread the ventilation points as far apart as possible and as close to the apex of the roof as possible.

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