Whole House Window Fan

A whole house window fan can suck hot air out of your house and bring in cool evening air to help you sleep better in a house with no air conditioning.

It will best work when the outdoor temperature is less than the indoor temperature and it can make allergies worse by pulling pollen and other allergens into the house, but it can significanltly lower your cooling bill and your comfort level if you have no AC.

There are two types of "whole house fans".  One is installed in the access panel space to the attic or an installation hole in the ceiling. Some of these have louvers that can seal them off when not in use.  Another type is installed in an upstairs window.  The fan works by sucking air from outdoors into the house downstairs and out through the fan upstairs.  The downstairs window should be on the coolest side of the house.  The ventilation is assisted by adding a second fan blowing into the house downstairs.  If you have a single floor house, you will want the fans on opposite sides of the house and the sucking fan again goes on the coolest side.

The whole house window fan is a cost effective and earth friendly alternative to air conditioning.  

When installing whole house exhaust window fans, the fan should fit in the open window frame and the window should be closed down on the fan.  Then it's best to place some kind of blocking material on the sides of the fan; so air only flows through the fan.  Fans made specifically for this kind of use will have adjustable panels on the sides to make this blocking very easy.  Some also allow for closing the window without removing the fan.  The better you can seal up any seams around the fan box, the better it will work to cool your house.

 The fans should be removed from the windows when not in use and the windows closed.  Rain can shorten the life of your fans.