The Role Of A Whole-Home Fan With Air Conditioning
As a homeowner, you may be under the assumption that an air conditioner is the best way to cool down your home. That is simply not true, especially when you have a whole-home fan that will help move the air. By running the fan, you can actually use less electricity to cool down your home. Here is what you need to know about it.
How Your Air Conditioner Works
Air conditioning uses a process that is called phase conversion to make the air cold. This means that it transforms a substance from liquid to gas. Evaporation causes the substance to draw in surrounding heat, which is then absorbed by the evaporating coil and chills the air. Since air conditioning operates in a system that is closed, the substance is only capable of absorbing a certain amount of heat. It causes the substance to need to go through the phase conversion process repeatedly in order for it to continue to cool down the air, and the entire system may not be capable of meeting the necessary demand to cool your home.
Ever notice that it takes a long time to cool down your home? This is why that happens. Turning your thermostat to a lower temperature doesn't cause the coolant to get any colder, it just tells the air conditioner to run longer until the temperature is met. The limitations of the coolant are what causes it to take so long to cool down a large home.
How Your Whole-Home Fan Works
While ceiling fans only move the air around in the room they are installed, a whole-home fan has the capability to remove heat in your entire home. It works by installing a large fan between your top floor ceiling and the attic. Once the sun has gone down, the windows can be opened to let in the cool outside air. The fan sucks the air through the home, which removes hot air and quickly replaces it with cool air.
Since a fan doesn't require a compressor or two fans, it will use a lot less electricity to run, with it being estimated to use 90% less energy. In addition, you'll feel the cool air immediately in your home rather than having to wait for it to slowly become the desired temperature.
For more information about whole-home fans, work with a local HVAC contractor such as JV Systems Air Conditioning And Heating of Tampa Bay Inc.
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