Homeowners big fans of new cooling system

For many Oahu residents, late season heat means continuing hot evenings and occasional restless nights. Some residents resign themselves to higher electricity bills that come from cooling the home with A/C, while others suffer through until the weather finally cools down.

Agnes Furutani of Waikele was used to having a hot bedroom that was uncomfortable to sleep in. “It felt like my bedding just came out of the dryer,” she said. Furutani found her solution with the whole house fan, an energy-efficient home cooling system. Unseen from the outside of the home, the whole house fan quietly draws hot air out of the living space through a ceiling in-take and cools both the home’s living space and attic at a fraction of the cost of A/C systems and without a hole in the roof.

After considering his options, Lionel Payes had his whole house fan system installed this past August and immediately noticed a difference. “It’s the moving of air that makes Hawaii weather comfortable, and that’s how the whole house fan works, by creating that air flow,” said Payes. “It saved us money since it was cheaper than installing A/C into different parts of the house. Cool outside air is brought in, no more hot stagnant air and a house that feels like a furnace when you come home from work.”

Army Sgt. 1st Class Eunjin Chang of Kapolei echoed the sentiment. “Being an outdoor person, my goal was to find a way to make the home comfortable without having to keep all my windows and doors shut. The whole house fan and SolarGuard (reflective insulation) made a huge difference and was the best home investment ever.

Pam Sato of Mililani agrees. “Since I installed my whole house fan system in 2011, it’s been all I’ve used to cool my home,”said Sato. “I saved more when it came time to put in solar by installing fewer panels. I tell everyone about it; it’s amazing how it sucks the hot air right out of my home!”

Founded in 2008, Island Cooling LLC is Honolulu’s distributor of Quiet Cool Whole House Fans. Run by brothers Ivan and Al Whitworth, the company is raising awareness of energy-efficient cooling solutions. In addition to larger units for homes, they also have bedroom-sized units for home-offices and bedrooms.

Meanwhile Furutani is enjoying her home more. “My bedroom has gotten a lot more comfortable since installing the whole house fan,” she said.

ISLAND COOLING LLC
contact // 672-2300
web // www.islandcooling.com