solar attic vents (Howe: sale, house, buying)

[kercan]

has anyone installed one of these ? if so have you noticed any difference ?
can you recommend a good vendor/installer ?

thanks much

[behtypa]

Originally Posted by kercan

has anyone installed one of these ? if so have you noticed any difference ?
can you recommend a good vendor/installer ?

thanks much

I have just purchased 3 of those (for 1200 sq ft coverage) at Lowes (HD also has them, but not a combo 2-in-1 unit) and installing them this week. it's a an easy DIY project. Youtube has many instruction videos.

The fan is around $230 at Lowes or HD and around $280-320 at Costco. Check your sq footage, read the manual and you are ready to go.

I can't give you my stats yet, as it is not yet installed. However the attic temp will definitely be (20-30 deg) lower and the roof more ventilated (moisture evacuated). So it is a beneficial project from any angle you look at it.

[achtungpv]

A roofer told me that if you already have a ridge vent then fans won't make any noticeable difference. I'd be interested in hearing what anyone else says about that.

[say]

Originally Posted by behtypa

I have just purchased 3 of those (for 1200 sq ft coverage) at Lowes (HD also has them, but not a combo 2-in-1 unit) and installing them this week. it's a an easy DIY project. Youtube has many instruction videos.

The fan is around $230 at Lowes or HD and around $280-320 at Costco. Check your sq footage, read the manual and you are ready to go.

I can't give you my stats yet, as it is not yet installed. However the attic temp will definitely be (20-30 deg) lower and the roof more ventilated (moisture evacuated). So it is a beneficial project from any angle you look at it.

I believe our local Costco ( Mopac & William Cannons ) is selling this one at the
price of $209 ( instant coupon, expire by the end of August )

Costco - Solar Power All Purpose Ventilator

It's very easy to install with existing static vent.

It's also selling the bigger combined one Solar Powered attic fan at the price of around $260, if i recalled.

Costco - Solar Power Attic Fan

Note: At Costco, buying at local store is cheaper than ordering on line .

[CptnRn]

I have had the energy conservation engineers with the City tell me that installing an 110 volt thermostatically controlled attic fan to exhaust hot air out of the existing gable vents, uses more energy exhausting then it saves by removing the heat.

Since solar is one of the most expensive ways to produce electricity, it is not considered efficient where a hardwired electricity supply is available. So I assume the cost of installing, maintaining, replacing the solar fans and components as they wear out would be less efficient and less cost effective then the hard wired gable vent fan I installed.

Almost 2 years ago I bought and installed a small solar powered yard light at the front door. After doing so I did some calculations on what it would save me on electricity costs instead of turning the porch light on. I found it would take that light 10 years of energy savings to pay back the cost of buying and installing it. I doubt it will last 10 years, so it turns out it was not a good investment.

I suspect solar roof vents would produce similar numbers if you ran the calculations. Passive ventalation with adequate eave vents in conjunction with ridge or roof vents should be the most cost effective way to do this, since heat rises on its own it will exhaust through the roof and draw in cooler air at the eaves, while consuming no electricity.

[XLadylawX]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I have had the energy conservation engineers with the City tell me that installing an 110 volt thermostatically controlled attic fan to exhaust hot air out of the existing gable vents, uses more energy exhausting then it saves by removing the heat.

Since solar is one of the most expensive ways to produce electricity, it is not considered efficient where a hardwired electricity supply is available. So I assume the cost of installing, maintaining, replacing the solar fans and components as they wear out would be less efficient and less cost effective then the hard wired gable vent fan I installed.

Almost 2 years ago I bought and installed a small solar powered yard light at the front door. After doing so I did some calculations on what it would save me on electricity costs instead of turning the porch light on. I found it would take that light 10 years of energy savings to pay back the cost of buying and installing it. I doubt it will last 10 years, so it turns out it was not a good investment.

I suspect solar roof vents would produce similar numbers if you ran the calculations. Passive ventalation with adequate eave vents in conjunction with ridge or roof vents should be the most cost effective way to do this, since heat rises on its own it will exhaust through the roof and draw in cooler air at the eaves, while consuming no electricity.

CptnRn, a man after my own heart. You will likely find a similar result if you run a similar analysis in comparing a Toyota Corolla with a Toyota Prius. Don't know if I will ever be wealthy enough to be green.

Also, have you ever looked at the price of installing solar panels on a home? I've never heard of a system costing less than $30k. Sigh!!!!

[CptnRn]

I have looked at the cost of installing Solar panels on my home and I it is not yet cost effective. The cost of solar cells will have to come down a lot and the cost of electricity will have to go up a lot before they can produce a reasonable payback.

I'm sure you are right about the Toyota Prius. As battery technology continues improving and gas prices rise they will probably be cost effective some day, but they are not there yet.

[RevMen]

Solar hot water works well and can be cost effective. Solar electricity... not so much.

The appeal of putting a solar outdoor light on my driveway wasn't the lack of electricity, it was being able to put a light somewhere that isn't served by my home's wiring. I suspect the solar attic vent has a similar appeal.

[atxcio]

I would think Solar Attic vents might be more cost effective because you don't need to have an electrician tie in the power to an appropriate circuit (wiring job to house power). Although I'm not sure what the cost diff in the solar unit is.

I've often been tempted to try some of the cheap solar stuff Harbor Freight sells. They have a pretty significant looking 3-panel kit that often is on sale for $159-$199. That's by far the cheapest I've seen for anything solar. You can combine the kits to make a fairly large solar system:

45 Watt Solar Panel Kit

(there are TONs of other youtube videos about this kit, just search)

[LittleCityATX]

It will cost more, but surprisingly, sealing your attic and making it a semi-conditioned space yields much better energy returns than venting. (You have to completely seal the space and insulate it with spray-in foam or equivalent.)