I've written about many things, mostly how people get ripped off, but this is one of those times I would like to send kudos to a great company and a product that can save you angst and money too. It's called the Solar Star solar roof fan by Solatube Home Daylight in Vista, CA.
First, let me explain that we live close to the Pacific Ocean and have no air conditioning but the ocean breezes. That said, the attic gets hotter than a convection oven on the warm summer days. Even with the requisite six inches of insulation, the master bedroom ceilings were showing 86 to 90 degrees on a laser guided digital infrared thermometer. Some areas were in excess of 90 degrees where tight ceiling/roof areas prevented significant air flow and there were dead air pockets. The bedroom was uncomfortable for sleeping, even though we had installed heavy duty UV resistant double pane windows with one-third and one-eighth glass to cut heat and light, so heat penetration through them was minimal.
Second, you might ask, why not just put in more insulation? Great question. The answer is the same Pacific Ocean winds that help cool the air in the summer bring huge winds during the Pacific storms in the winter. Roof vents already in place allow the wind to circulate in part of the attic, insulation becomes dislodged and blown all over, necessitating recovering and replacement of the batts, which are irregular and some several feet square. Plus, the attic area over the master bedroom is a vaulted ceiling, with very low access, making the choice of insulation in that area blown in, rather than batts. That, combined with the low clearance between the roof and the ceiling joists creates a low flow air space. So no matter how much insulation were in the attic, the space itself would not be getting any cooler during the summer heat. (I am excepting insulating the underside of the roof for various reasons, including access) Plus, the insulation tends to trap the heat longer after the sun goes down. Kind of a Catch-22 situation, I suppose.
Third, the back of the bedroom wall is also the garage wall, the garage wall extending about one-half the way up the bedroom. This same garage wall is also the back wall of a first floor bedroom as well. The garage wall facing the bedrooms is insulated with 4" fiberglass, but the garage outer walls and roof is open studs and rafter construction with no insulation. The garage door is steel with 2 inches polystyrene between two steel panels.
Now to the fans. We had installed two RM1600 22 watt Solar Star fans, one in the attic directly above the hottest part of the master bedroom ceiling and the second near the peak of the garage. We chose the thermal switches for each fan since they allow the fans to activate when the attic temperature reaches 85 degrees and to deactivate when the temperature is 65 degrees or less. Thus the fans don't run in the cold winter months unless needed.
The results: During 80 plus degree days, the master bedroom temperatures have remained in the low 70's and are much more comfortable. The ceiling temperatures during the peak heat of the day show as between 74 and 84 degrees, a significant drop from earlier testing. Garage temperatures, which used to be almost unbearable, after bringing in heat soaked vehicles, are now pleasant.I can actually work in the garage without sweltering! Granted the uninsulated open roof does allow some heat buildup, but the Solar Star fan takes it out quickly and even with two hot vehicles, the temperature is not uncomfortable.
I consider this a very good investment. The fans run free with no electricity charge, do not need full sunlight to operate efficiently, and are very quiet. They really are efficient, even more than I expected. The cost for several of these units is in the $1500 range, but there is a 30% tax credit for solar energy that can be applicable from what I understand. 5 year warranty on the fan and motor and 10 years on the rest of the components.Very professional installation in about 90 minutes for both fans. Plus, the fan and solar unit could be replaced if ever needed with no roof intrusion, a big plus in the future if it were needed. Just remove a few bolts, remove one fan assembly and install a new working unit! Very cool!
I don't recommend products very often but this is just one of the super stars that I really feel good about.
Here's a link: http://www.homedaylight.com/content/show/6934
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