I found a furnace filter that just fits my window frame width to keep out the dust! I believe you said you have gable vents. but point well taken (this isnt the main argument against what was said)    second, while radiant energy does continue to be emitted from the underside of the roof deck, that doesnt mean the roofdeck cant be cooled by a little flowing air and that is EXACTLY what happens. © 2021, Energy Vanguard | 533 West Howard Avenue, Suite E, Decatur, GA 30030, Georgia, has banned power attic ventilators, treating the attic air to prevent moisture from collecting in the foam, http://www.proctoreng.com/dnld/ECO_Report_CEC.pdf, https://www.google.com/search?q=ornl+%22above+sheathing+ventilation%22, Combustion Safety 101: Three Types of Problems, How to Make a High-MERV DIY Portable Air Cleaner, How to Make a Good High-MERV Filter Even Better, 10 Consequences of Keeping Your Home Really Cold in Summer, Ten Years of Building Science Summer Camp. You can get much more efficient whole-house fans for the job (check out quietcoolfan.com, ES series). I remember the days at my parents house. the air in the attic gets hot. In dryer climates especially, ventilation   can be a positive effort to aid in dissipating heat from an attic, room or space. I've lived with this for 12 years and refuse to suffer through another summer. To me, in combination with a reflective metal roof, this is the ultimate roofing assembly. Germany Just do what you were thinking of and disconnect the fan completely. The fan now resides on rubber mounts, about 20' into the attic and noise is no longer an issue. For a DIY, I guess it depends on how much one values one's time. You might want to learn that yourself before you come here with your drive-by attempt to flame me. My problem is noise from the fan. thats like saying insulation doesnt work. He found that the average cost will vary between 7$ to 10$. @peter...it is NOT pure aluminum. BUT there are times when the installation a unit can be beneficial but it depends on several things...1) proper installation 2) proper conditions (environmental factors) 3) on a lesser note....whether it is a DIY installation or a professional installation which is costly and hence, possibly not cost effective    i have posted several replies to the article and also to comments. But that radiant heat passes through the attic air and hits the solid materials. Alternatively, you could get one of those thin bubble wrap/vinyl panels with hook-and-loop fasteners to cover the attic-side louvers (did this at my brother's). I suspect that the reason some have seen cooler attics when a reflective barrier is placed under the roof is because it traps air between the roof deck and the barrier, causing the air space to heat up even higher than without the barrier and causing a greater thermosyphon action to occur against the roof deck underside. Our master bedroom in on the second floor and has a HUGE arched facing Wesand a cathedral ceiling. This mode of heat transfer is more effectively limited by 1) increased attic insulation, 2) a truss-mounted radiant barrier or 3) a white reflective roof surface that limits solar gain to the attic structure.". i live in a area with 100+F temps common from May thru Sept. 20yrs ago i installed a gable mounted fan. One would think that a small amount of heat can reach the conditioned space through conduction in the wood truss members. again the critics will say "but then there is NO airgap" which is necessary for a RB to be effective. One of those now in demand in this category is the Natural Light Solar Attic Fan. The roof doesn't radiate directly to the attic floor. I did dinner parties selling retrofitting barrier shield to homeowners on florida's west coast I spent considerable time with the inventor so designed it for the astronauts. Louvres or shutters may not be included (you can buy them separately or do without if you don't mind the appearance). There you have it. i did not have time to read all of this but please be aware the air in the attic is much hotter than the air outside because it is heated by the same radiant effect you are referring to. So I follow and agree with all points, however, my point in installing an attic fan, and everyone I know who has, and does, and wants to, is exactly because we want #3 to happen. But wait, how much electricity does a fan use overnight? This mode of heat transfer is more effectively limited by 1) increased attic insulation, 2) a truss-mounted radiant barrier or 3) a white reflective roof surface that limits solar gain to the attic structure." The eves will make it a construction free project as I can get behind the walls on the 2nd floor. Next, you’ll multiply the above results, with the hours you spend with your fan to get your consumption e.g. If you've got an older home and it needs more insulation, you've got the perfect opportunity. You may think how much it may cost you to run a fan overnight? If one was to rely on a contractor to install it, the cost I find is exhorbitant and really not worth it. I wouldn't think too much about the neg things people say. I said:    You can also calculate the BTU load...50°F Delta-T, and 750 sq ft of R-50....BTU/h = 750*50/R-50 = 750 BTU/h expected heating...about the same as 2 100W bulbs, hardly going to make a whole upper story be super heated. Those walls aren't like the normal exterior walls because the adjacent space is way hotter than outside. Sunshine is reflected instead of heating the roof. WOW, so much misinformation...(not the original post, but the comments). dont get me wrong, i am all for radiant barriers. Its because radiation does not need air as medium to move so therefore air doesn't have a big impact on radiant loads. R30 at 130F is around R19 if i remember right. Thank you for your time. Sometimes your money will be better spent installing insulation, sometimes installing a radiant barrier. After installation, the attic fan depressurized the attic, reversed the flow, so his second story was now being cooled by drawing the cool air from his first floor. both were several degrees warmer than untreated tho i dont recall the numbers. It is made up of 2 very thin layers of most pure aluminum with a thin film of molar in between which makes it non conductive. btw ethan...i hope you blocked off the area of the gable vent outside the fan shroud. Is it increasing the cooling load by doing so? That's your air barrier, and it's probably not doing a good job at it. This insulation helps you to maintain your home temperature at the desired level. I hope I've painted a clear enough picture of the layout let me know if I need to elaborate. while it is MUCH easier to have a RB installed at time of construction, ie on OSB, in CAN still be cost effective as a retrofit. I could do the same thing you're doing without a reference point: As far as I've read and learned, the problem isn't that you can't cool your attic, the problem is you are cooling the attic with the air from inside your home. On those days, there will be more resistance to drawing air from the house and if some does, I'll get some outside air in. after attic fan … @ David Butler  i am concerned about the information you provide. after the installation the AC would cycle on and off. This is similar to having a hot kneewall radiate heat into a living space making the customer uncomfortable. When we are hot, we want the   feeling off of us, forget the damn savings or etc. I am a homeowner who was about to embark on paying an installer to repair/install new attic fans (electric) in a ceiling of the main house and a gable-mount in the guest house detached from the main house. You can place it anywhere, and they don’t take much space, and they don’t consume much electricity. This attic fan, which is a 36W model, is big time in benefits to offer. Thus, you may have to make alternate arrangements for a reliable power … Don’t Let Your Attic Suck - Power Attic Ventilators Are a Bad Idea, Power Attic Ventilators Banned by New Georgia Energy Code, Oooh, Shiny Stuff! That one was hooked up at one of the gable vents. Only in   those places where people live like rats is population a problem, thus   the government makes laws that using electricity in regards to -is "not allowed". that said...i know many people will say that would only make the situation worse with MORE air being drawn from the house into the attic (if more is being sent out of the attic). So why not? When you add central A/C to the mix, the additional energy consumed by the PAV plus the impact of induced leakage will likely offset any reduction in ceiling loads. Or, is the measurement taken from the inside, the louvers are slanted, so from the top of one lover (can't start with the bottom of the louver since I am now behind the it facing the screen) to the one below it is 3 inches. 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