Whole house fans keep it cool

April in Oahu means cool weather and gentle trade winds, but Akamai homeowners know that summer heat and high cooling bills are just around the corner.

Fortunately, for Cliff Baptista of Kapolei, this summer will be a lot more affordable and comfortable. A small air intake and a timer is all that’s visible of Cliff ‘s system, which was installed in his home in February of 2012. “It draws cool, fresh air into my house in the evening and sucks out all the hot air, without a hole in the roof,” he said. “I call the whole house fan my ‘stealth air conditioner.'”

Originally invented in the 1940s as a way to cool homes before air conditioning was widespread, whole house fans have always been a fixture in energy efficient home design. Although displaced by air conditioning in the years since, they’ve been getting a lot more attention as energy prices have risen.

The reason: the whole house fan system uses only a fraction of the energy of an air conditioner and can be easily offset with solar photovoltaic. In 2011, the Building Association of Hawaii included one in its energy efficient New Hawaiian Home and in 2013, the LEED platinum award winning Waahila Ridge home included a whole house fan system as well.

“Let’s face it: A lot of homes in Hawaii just aren’t built for air conditioning,” said Ann Kim of Ewa Beach. “My auntie has jalousie windows and single-wall construction. Plus, the last thing you want to do in the afternoon is turn on the air conditioning to cool your home to the natural air temperature. I’m an outdoor person; I’m always going in and out. The whole house fan has made it easy for me to be comfortable in my home.”

Island Cooling LLC is Oahu’s resource for natural cooling and has been distributing whole house fans since 2009. In addition to larger units for homes, the company also has ducted Quiet Cool bedroom-sized units for home-offices and bedrooms.

For a free consultation, call 672-2300 or visit www.islandcooling.com for more information.

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