How Much Does It Cost to Install a Solar Attic Fan? (2024 Update)

Attic fans can be essential to keeping your house cool. When one of these fans is installed, you can cool down your whole house. Plus, these fans can pull moisture and odors from the rest of your home, which is always a plus.

However, solar attic fans are on the more expensive side. A small, passive fan can cost around $100, while a larger solar fan can cost over $1,000. There are many factors to consider when determining the price of these fans, which we will discuss below.

The Importance of Solar Attic Fans

When determining what sort of fan to get, there are many factors to consider. Attic fans can be vital to the cooling of your home. While they cool the attic space, their primary purpose is to pull hot air from the rest of your home. Therefore, they work to cool your whole house, not just the attic.

However, that isn’t where the benefits of these fans end. These fans pull air from the rest of your house upwards. While this air is usually hot, it may also contain moisture and odors. Therefore, odors will clear from your house faster if you have an attic fan.

While this usually isn’t a huge deal, you’ll be glad you have it when you crack the next rotten egg! Furthermore, the reduction in moisture can increase the lifespan of just about everything in your home. If you live in a very humid area, it can also reduce the temperature in your home.

How Much Does a Solar Fan Cost?

Solar fans are one of the most expensive attic fans. As the name suggests, these fans run on solar power. Therefore, they usually work even when the power is out at home. In hot areas that are prone to power outages, this can be a huge plus. Even if the power goes out, these fans will continue to cool your house down.

However, you will pay a pretty penny for this benefit. On average, a solar-powered fan costs anywhere from $300 to $1,000 to install. In cities, installation costs more. However, rural areas may cost more as well. It depends on the exact suppliers in your area. Because these are a bit of a niche offering, you may have difficulty getting solar fans in your area.

In areas without access to much sunlight or mild summers, solar fans aren’t common. If you want one, you may have to pay someone from out of town to install it, which can be extremely expensive.

Additional Costs to Anticipate

Luckily, because this fan is solar-powered, your energy costs should be practically zero. Sometimes, these fans are made to run off mains if there isn’t enough solar power to generate them. However, this usually isn’t necessary.

If there isn’t enough solar energy for these fans to process, then your home probably isn’t hot, either. Therefore, these fans work well because their energy will be around when you need them. At night, many automatically turn off because there isn’t enough solar energy left. However, most people don’t need their attic fan on at night, as the temperature is usually quite low.

With that said, if you do need your fan on at night, you may have to pay extra energy costs. It all depends on your area and what you’re looking for.

Are Solar-Powered Attic Fans Worth It?

For the most part, it depends on your area. The main purpose of these fans is to cool your home. They are most worth it in sunny, warm areas—there must be enough sunlight for these fans to run. However, in warmer areas, this is usually the case. Therefore, we recommend these fans for areas where the sun shines hot and bright.

A specialist in your area can help you determine if your home would benefit from one of these fans. Sometimes, attics simply aren’t designed to accommodate these fans. In this case, it may not be entirely helpful to install one.

However, in other cases, you can quickly get energy savings. Because these fans are solar-powered and cool your home, many people have to spend less money to keep their homes at a comfortable temperature.

Of course, these fans help the most in warmer areas. If you rarely have to cool your home, an attic fan likely isn’t going to help you very much.

Do Solar Fans Run All the Time?

It depends on the fan. Sometimes, fans only run when there is sunlight on them. Therefore, if it is cloudy or dark, it won’t turn on. However, in more mild areas, you don’t need them on during these times. When the sun comes out (and heats things), it will automatically turn on and start cooling your home.

However, some fans have a battery system that allows them to run all the time. When the sun comes out, the fan turns and charges the battery. When the sun is gone, this battery will keep the fun going for at least a bit.

With that said, these batteries are extremely expensive and often increase the cost of the fan substantially.

Conclusion

Solar-powered attic fans are a great option for those who want to save money on energy. These fans help cool your home at no extra cost to you. Because they run on solar power, you won’t have to pay anything for them to run. Plus, they also cool your home, so your energy bill will decrease, too. Therefore, these fans can save you a lot of money.

However, it’s expensive to install upfront. Usually, you can expect these fans to cost anywhere from $300 to $1,000. In areas where they are common, the price is typically lower. For instance, these fans are common in California, so they tend to be cheaper there.

But, in areas where these fans aren’t common, supply is often low, which drives the price up.

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Featured Image Credit: Grumeti Media, Shutterstock