Dear Mr. Energy,
My husband and I are in an argument about something. I love my whole house fan! There’s nothing like fresh air circulating through the house on a beautiful spring or fall day. But my husband says he read somewhere that a whole-house fan is a big source of energy loss when its not in use and he wants to board it up. Who is right?
–Wondering Wife
Dear Wondering,
Mr. Energy also enjoys fresh air. He, too, has a whole-house fan in his house and you’re right, the feeling of fresh air on beautiful spring or fall days is wonderful. So he has to agree with you that it’s a wonderful thing…but he also agrees with your husband in that it’s a huge source of air and energy leaks during the winter and summer months. Essentially, unless it has an air-tight cover, it’s a huge whole that leaks air in or out of your house. The bottom line is that you can keep your fan, but you’ll need some way of sealing it when it’s not in use. Mr. Energy went the D.I.Y. route and built a cover for his fan, but you can also buy commercially available fan covers that will serve a similar purpose.
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How To Reduce Your Energy Bills / Energy Conservation Begins at Home
Imagine leaving a window open all winter long — the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day.
These often overlooked sources of energy loss and air leakage can cause heat and AC to pour out and the outside air to rush in — costing you higher energy bills.
But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home — the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer?
To learn more visit http://www.batticdoor.com
Mark D. Tyrol is a Professional Engineer specializing in cause and origin of construction defects. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover and an attic access door. Battic Door is the US distributor of the fireplace plug.