For millennia, man has harnessed natural ventilation to keep his dwellings cool. Yet the contemporary house ignores this idea, relying instead on creating a sealed and (expensively) conditioned environment. AirScape whole house fans use modern technology to bring the ancient wisdom of natural ventilation to your home.
A smart, healthy, energy-saving alternative to Air Conditioning
Air Conditioning is the biggest electricity user in many homes. An AirScape whole house fan can reduce or even eliminate the need for A/C and dramatically lower home energy use. Especially in dry climates where evenings cool off, it just makes sense to harness cool air as nature provides it, rather than expensively manufacturing your own. Our advanced design delivers effective natural cooling with whisper-quiet efficiency, at a fraction of the cost of A/C. Depending on where you live and how you use it, an AirScape whole house fan system can reduce home cooling costs by up to 90%, while improving the livability of your home with fresh natural breezes that are a joy to sleep in.
Whole house fans are not a new idea: they were very popular in early-mid 20th century, but fell out of favor when modern A/C arrived (before we were all concerned about energy use). And no wonder. Traditional designs were difficult to install, noisy and unsuitable for many climates. But AirScape has re-engineered the whole house fan using a completely different design philosophy: they're more efficient, quieter and easier to install than older designs, making this natural and efficient cooling strategy a great "new" option that works both as an A/C supplement or replacement.
In dry desert climates, an AirScape whole house fan is a no-brainer -- it can eliminate the need for air conditioning completely. What many people don't realize however, is that in most other areas of the US, you can use it in conjunction with your A/C to dramatically reduce your energy consumption and fix stuffy hot bedrooms while saving big on electric bills and enjoying natural fresh air in your home rather than recycled indoor air.
How it works
The cooling challenge
As the temperature outside rises during the day, heat is captured in the walls and interior spaces of your home. In fact, a typical 2000 sq ft house can absorb several hundred thousand BTUs of heat during the day. When evening comes, even though outside air may have cooled nicely, your house is still radiating a lot of heat, making it hotter inside than outside - a frustrating and uncomfortable situation. You can of course use your A/C system to remove all this heat - but that's expensive and requires you to spend your evenings sealed up indoors. And even then, upstairs bedrooms are the last to cool off, often remaining at uncomfortable temperatures well into the wee hours of the night. There is a better way!
How whole house fans work
A whole house fan is effective whenever the outside temperature is lower than the indoor temperature -- typically in the evenings and at night. A whole house fan mounts between your living space and the attic, drawing cool outside air in through open doors and windows while forcing the hottest indoor air into the attic and out through existing roof vents. This cycle quickly creates a fresh, comfortable indoor environment, and, importantly, steadily draws heat out of the structure itself, so you start the next day with a cool house, delaying or eliminating A/C use.
AirScape whole house fans are much more sophisticated: modern, energy-efficient and very quiet using advanced noise-reduction strategies. They are designed to run all night, steadily drawing cool fresh air in through open windows while exhausting hot stale air out through attic roof vents. This flow creates a comfortable, natural living and sleeping environment while drawing heat out of the structure to reduce A/C load for the next day.
The net result is you enjoy fresh evening air in your home, a wonderfully cool sleeping environment and save a bundle on energy costs.
The benefits of natural cooling
Substantially reduce your home cooling bills
Installing an AirScape may be one of the best energy-saving opportunities in your home. Plus, payback on equipment is much faster than solar (many California utilities even offer rebates. And of course, reducing electricity use means reducing CO2 emissions — so you’re doing good for our planet too.
Fix hot stuffy bedrooms and sleep in cool quiet comfort
Many two-storey homes -- and particularly older ones -- have trouble with hot bedrooms that simply don't cool down even with the A/C running. An AirScape whole house fan can solve this problem, providing a fresh cool quiet breeze that keeps you comfortable and saves a ton of money on your A/C bill. Learn more about how to fix hot stuffy bedrooms.
Improve your indoor air quality
Increasingly, indoor air quality is being recognized as serious health issue. A tightly sealed home traps odors, smoke and off-gas chemicals, recirculating them over and over to create serious indoor air pollution. An AirScape fan can dramatically improve indoor air quality in your home, changing the air many times an hour, exhausting odors, smoke and off-gassing chemicals, while bringing in fresh clean outdoor evening air. Learn more about indoor air quality issues.
Conserve energy and reduce your carbon footprint
Not only can you save a lot of money by natural cooling, but you're helping to save the planet too. By reducing your energy consumption, you are reducing your carbon footprint and living more sustainably.
Enjoy your home more
While the strongest purchase motivation for most people is reducing A/C bills, many users report that their AirScape also pays big in improved quality-of-life that comes from living and sleeping in fresh air rather than recycled A/C air. In fact, over 80% of users say their AirScape “absolutely” adds to the enjoyment of their home, with 85% being “thrilled” or “very satisfied” with their AirScape. Browse through some of our hundreds of testimonials from happy AirScape customers all across the country.
Is a whole house fan right for your climate?
Typically, whole house fans are most dramatically effective and efficient for climates like we have in California -- hot days, cool nights with low humidity. If you live in the west, a whole house fan is really a no-brainer. But most US climates can tap into natural cooling during at least part of the year. Obviously, the warmer and more humid the evening air, the less effective natural cooling becomes, so your lifestyle and ideas on personal comfort, energy conservation, etc, start to come into play.
While in the west many people use whole house fans year-round instead of air conditioning, in other climates you would use it perhaps in the shoulder seasons, or in complement with A/C. For instance in the US North East, a whole house fan will not be that helpful during those extreme heat waves with high humidity -- for those you'll want your A/C. However, for more moderate summer weather and through the shoulder seasons, a whole house fan can pay off nicely in comfort and energy efficiency. Our experience is that as long as the evening temperature drops below 75 or so, and it isn't dripping with humidity, you will have a cool, comfortable house. We have many happy customers all over the country, from Seattle and New Orleans to Florida, Indiana and Maine.
While the California climate is ideal for natural cooling, we have thousands of happy customers all over the US. From Florida to Main and from Texas to Seattle. See our sales map and read from users all over the country.
Cool climates require leak-free seals for the winter months
This is an important special consideration if you live in a seasonally cold climate. In winter months, when your indoor air is warm and moist compared to outdoors, you do NOT want any air leaking into the cold attic, so the fan unit must provide a positive air seal. Otherwise, not only would you waste energy heating an uninsulated attic, but the moist indoor air could condense on the cold attic surfaces creating potentially serious water, ice and mold problems. AirScape fans have automatic, insulated doors that use heavy-duty actuators on steel doors to provide a reliable seal that protect your home during the heating season.
Limitations of Whole House Fans
The unique AirScape design eliminates many traditional limitations with whole house fans. Problems with difficult installation, loud intrusive operation, attic condensation/heat loss and fussy maintenance are all solved. However, anyone considering a whole house fan needs to understand that they do have inherent limitations as a cooling device. It is NOT the same as an air conditioning system. A whole house fan:
- is only effective when outdoor air is cooler than indoor air
- does not dehumidify
- requires at least one open window (more is better)
What AirScape users enjoy most
Thanks to a modern design approach, the increasing importance of energy conservation and a desire for more natural living, whole house fans are enjoying a resurgence. Overwhelmingly, AirScape users are thrilled with their purchase and how it:
- saves energy with a smart, elegant cooling that is good for the environment
- solves the problem of excessive heat accumulation in upstairs bedrooms
- reduces or eliminates dependence on expensive and wasteful AC
- allows them to enjoy fresh air and more natural, livable home
We hope this page was helpful to you in your exploration of whole house fans. So check out our great products and take advantage of the extensive resources on this site to learn more about natural cooling and whole house fans.
If you decide to go ahead, we look forward to supplying the equipment and expertise you need to join the natural cooling movement.Buy direct from the experts
If you need help purchasing, installing or operating your fan, you’ll get fast expert support from real HVAC engineers, because you're buying direct from the people who design and manufacture the product.