November 29, 2007
By Using Solar Power Roof Vents You Can Cool The Attic Without Power Lines
It can get really hot in your attic and if you don’t have roof vents to let the heat out then you know how hot it can make your home. Most homes have roof vents that can move the hot air from the attic and some are powered by electricity. Using electrically powered vents means you have have power lines run in your attic. This can be expensive. You can cool your attic just as efficiently if you use solar power roof vents.
Ventilation is the attic is important to reduce the heat inside a house and installing roof vents can be a timely and expensive proposition. While many roof vents use the rising heat in the attic to turn the vents, electrically powered vents move much more air, drawing in fresh air through soffit vents, but require running power lines up to the attic. With solar power roof vents the same effect can be achieved without the need to run electricity into the attic.
There will be no power lines in the attic for squirrels or other animals to chew through, presenting a fire hazard and with solar power roof vents the vents work when ventilation is needed the most…during hot sunny days. While some attic vents may have temperature controls, most of the solar power roof vents are designed to come on when the sun hits the solar panels and shut off when the sun goes down. They also do not operate on cloudy days, when the attic is not getting any hotter anyway.
With solar power roof vents installed, hot air is drawn out of the attic, which pulls in air through soffit vents, keeping the air much cooler in the attic. This help keep the entire house cooler and reduces the amount of work air conditioning will have to do to keep the house cooler. Additionally, since they are solar power roof vents they will not cost a dime to operate.
Home Size Determines Ventilation Needs
The size of the home and the attic will determine what size and home many solar power roof vents will need to be installed to keep the attic air moving. Many units are designed to move between 600 and 800 cubic feet of air per minute while under full sun, and more than one unit will be needed for larger homes.
Despite the higher initial cost of solar power roof vents, the cost of hiring an electrician to install wiring and traditional electric vents may be about equal. However, even if the cost to install a solar power roof vents is higher, the savings come in by not having their use added to the electric bill. Other than the fan and motor, there are no other moving parts and maintenance will be focused on the fan.
Once properly installed solar power roof vents should last for several years and their quiet operation will not disrupt anyone’s sleep. Homeowners can also sleep comfortably knowing there is no chance of fire caused by a shorted wire, or one that served as dinner for a traveling rodent.
If you don’t have vents in your roof to cool down the attic then you know how hot your home can become in the summer. If you decide to have electrical vents installed for cooling then you are going to have wires that might attract rodents to chew on. If you decide to use solar power roof vents you can cool your attic area without electrical wiring. Most solar power roof vents come on when the sun hits the solar panels then goes off when the sun sets. Solar power roof vents keeps your home cooler on hot days.
Filed under Solar Energy by Pat









