Solar Roof Fan

A Solar Roof Fan is one of the most efficient ways to control the air temperature of your homes’ attic! Just like it’s sister product the Solar Gable Fan, the roof models make super-efficient use of natural sunlight to save energy and reduce the attic temperatures at the same time! It’s a win-win everyone loves!
Solar Roof Fans are a great option for those without gable vents, but still hoping for a greener way to properly maintain a comfortable home temperature and reduce attic temperatures.

The reason roof fans work so well, is because when air is trapped and stagnant in the attic, it stores the heat. If the rest of the house is much cooler than the attic air, for instance when the air conditioning is being utilized, then this heat will slowly transfer through a process called conduction back down through the ceiling and down into the air inside of the house. If you don’t currently have an attic fan, just get a stool and at the hottest point of the day, place your flat palm against the ceiling in your home. Yup, the AC has to cool that down also! This means that the air inside the house is heated up and the air conditioner has to run longer, driving up energy bills.

Solar Roof Fans Make Sense and Save Cents!

Who would have thought that a simple device like a solar roof fan would simple enough that a DIY’er could install it in a few hours, and remove the attic heat that is driving up the energy bill of many homeowners.

Solar roof fans are completely powered by sunlight and do not even need to be hooked into the power the rest of the house uses. The small solar panel is connected to a thermostat as well as a fan motor. Sun comes out, attic heats up and within minutes, your solar fan is venting the heat back out of your attic! Its not about keeping it cool, but keeping the air circulating! As the hot air is vented, outside temperature air reenters through your soffit or end vents, and the cycle continues.

Installation Video

The guys over at This Old House installed a Solar Star Attic Fan recently and posted this video.

Since this is not a gable mounted unit, it is one small compact unit and there is nothing to worry about running wires or maintaining them. If you have any experience with doing small roofing repairs, installation is relatively easy as you simply cut a small hole in your roof and install the fan over it. You do need to make sure you layer the edges of the fan in with the roofing tiles. If you do not have much or any experience with doing work on a roof, however, it is probably better to hire a professional to come in and quickly install the unit for you.