The question is being debated and this is good. When consumers start to look at solar as an alternate energy, they most likely will find themselves with a calculator that will convert what they are paying for the solar product, how much energy use they will save, and how long will their investment take to pay off. Idaho power has a lot of information on their website that gives you good information on how much money you will save on your power bill.
Here in Idaho, we are fortunate to have one of the lower prices of electricity per kilowatt hour. However, there are so many other reasons for installing solar products in your Boise area homes. We want to lower our energy consumption not just our cost. We are a community of energy conscious people who want to protect our environment and our homes.
Benefits for either Solar or Electric Powered Attic Fans
Same Day Electric has been installing electric powered attic fans in the Treasure Valley for the last 12 years. By installing an electric attic fan you still will save on your cooling cost by removing the hot air from the attic (attic temperatures easily reach 160 degrees in summer month in Boise) and this allows your cooling system to not work so hard and in turn you save!
Our electricians are now providing solar attic fan options to our customers and believe this is an excellent choice for many. They do run a couple hundred dollars more but with the 30% federal tax credit for the Energy Star product, it’s really not much more. According to the EPA website about half of what an average household pays in utility bills is for heating and cooling. If we can cut our cooling bill by even $30 dollars a month during the summer, our investment would only take a few years to recoup.
Attic fans also extend the life of your roofing by removing excess heat and moisture build up. Any attic fan we install comes with a thermostat. This is a good thing to look for when comparing attic fans of any kind. And, since we do have very warm summer nights in Boise, we have solved the problem of the solar attic fan not running at night because we can install a wireless convertor which will allow your solar fan to run even when it’s dark. By the way, both fans have motors whether it’s solar or electric so there is some noise from either product so placement of your fans should be chosen carefully. You want to look at where is optimal for best results but also keep in mind not to place it directly above a master bedroom. Some attics that are large or sectioned off and my and require more than one fan.
For more information on adding a solar or electric power attic fan to your home, please call one of our knowledgeable electricians. We are here to help.