If you're looking for the best solar attic fan, you're probably one among hundreds of people faced with the burden of a super-hot attic.
It's a common problem, especially since most HVAC systems focus on cooling living areas of a house. All is well and good, until of course summer arrives and the attic is taking the brunt of the heat. This is problematic because of two things:
- If you're using the attic as someone's bedroom or a storage room, it may not be livable during super-hot months.
- If you leave the attic virtually empty all year-round, you may not notice this issue. However, you might notice that your HVAC system is working extra-hard or even producing less cold air.
One way to solve this is to replace or upgrade your HVAC system, but it can be a huge investment to do so. Installing a solar attic fan is actually a more affordable and efficient fix. Check out 10 of the best solar attic fan brands we've handpicked for you...
Ventilation in the attic helps by pushing hot air out and pulling cooler air in, while properly circulating air inside. The solar attic fan removes stuffy, stale and unhealthy air from your attic without spending additional money on electricity.
In general, solar attic fans can easily be installed, if you know your way around a drill, saw and screwdriver. But if you find your roofing, wiring, or HVAC system complicated and would rather a professional install the solar attic fan for you, you have an option to hire a pro anytime.
1. Natural Light 36-watt Solar Attic Fan
- New powerful 48-Watt model - Moves up to 1881 cubic feet per...
- Industry Leading Lifetime limited warranty on entire unit.
- Highest quality materials in any Solar Attic Fan on the market....
- Optional snap-on thermostat for use in colder climates (sold...
Natural Light 12-watt solar attic fan simply works. It can easily improve ventilation of a space up to 1,260 square feet. While this varies depending on local climate, that's still pretty powerful, considering the fan runs from free solar energy. This gorgeous-looking solar attic fan operates at up to 893 cfms to reduce the load of your air-conditioning system.
The kit includes a high impact photovoltaic solar panel housed on a leak-proof aluminum. Underneath, it is powered by a DC motor, which you'll notice is a lot more quieter than any of your plugged HVAC systems. Natural Light makes a thermostat and fire safety switch available (for an extra fee) if you wish to add them to your solar attic fan.
Pros:
Cons:
2. iLIVING Smart Exhaust Solar Roof Attic Exhaust Fan
- Comes with smart thermostat control 50-122 °F with...
- Ip68 water proof brushless motor, 15 year warranty
- Adjustable solar panel (0°/15°/30°/45°), 20W, 1750Cfm, up to...
- 1 selling ventilation fan. Designed by iLIVING in San Francisco,...
- Non-stop Day/Night running AC/DC adapter kit is sold separately,...
iLIVING's Smart Exhaust solar roof attic fan features a 20-watt adjustable polycrystalline solar panel. It runs with an IP68 waterproof brushless motor, which operates as quietly as a typical oscillating fan.
This model comes built-in smart thermostat control 65-130f with enable/disable feature. There are extra fees involved, but if you want your fan to have an on/off switch, screen guard or non-stop running AC power supply, you can choose these options when checking out.
Pros:
Cons:
3. Remington Solar Attic Fan
- REDUCES YOUR ENERGY BILL… COOLS YOUR ATTIC & HOME… IMPROVES...
- POWERED BY FREE SOLAR ENERGY… FIGHTS MOISTURE DAMAGE: Finding...
- BUILT-IN HUMIDISTAT & THERMOSTAT… HYBRID ADAPTER TO RUN AT...
- LIFE-EXTENDING, BRUSHLESS MOTOR… LITTLE-TO-NO-NOISE… HAIL &...
- DESIGNED FOR A LIFETIME OF USE… 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE:...
Remington's solar attic fan is a rectangular-shaped all-black roof mount with a stylish design and simple, yet durable parts. It is made with a quiet brushless 24-volt DC Motor, which is powered up by solar power gathered by the 30-watt polycrystalline solar panel.
This Remington model was designed to ventilate up to 1550 CFM for 2500 square-feet attics.
The cool thing about the Remington solar attic fan is that it already pre-installed the thermostat and humidistat out of the box. Compared to other brands that make these optional (with around $50 value each), adding these parts save you some money. Plus, it is built with noise-dampening technology as well.
Pros:
Cons:
4. Amtrak 14-inch Solar Attic Fan
- ( High efficiency fan blade ) New 12” Fan Housing with 10”...
- ( Numerous Applications ) For gable vent, greenhouse, garage,...
- ( High Torque Motor ) Features sealed ball bearing and Thermal...
- ( Free Thermostat upon request ) This thermostat is made in USA...
- ( Industry’s best warranty ) Amtrak Solar products such as fan...
With Amtrak's solar-powered attic fan, you don't need to worry about ventilating the stuffy air in your attic. It powers up once it gets too hot in the attic, then shuts down when no longer needed.
The Amtrak solar attic fan is built with 40-watt solar panel, thermal-protected motor and a 10-inch high efficiency fan blades made by renowned fan-blade manufacturer Revor. All these components work together effectively in providing ventilation for areas up to 2250 square feet.
And if you're going to install this on your own, you'd be pleased to know that the Z-brackets included in the pack are already pre-drilled for your bolts and screws. Interested in built-in thermostat? This can be free too, but you'd need to request it first.
Pros:
Cons:
5. ECO-WORTHY 25W Solar Powered Vent Fan
- 【 Decent Warranty for Its Part 】- We always stand behind our...
- 【 Efficient in Low Light Condition 】- The solar attic fan can...
- 【 Cost-Saving & Affordable 】- The solar fan system...
- 【 Well-Made Quality 】- The materials of the high volume solar...
- 【 Easy to Install 】- It's a ready-to-use solar fan for home,...
If you know your way around solar panels, this ECO-WORTHY solar-powered fan can be a very good option for you. Not only can you place this on your attic, gable roof vent, greenhouse, and any other spots in or outside your home, this kit is also flexible enough for you to add more panels (or fans) if needed.
ECO-WORTHY's solar vent fan includes a 25-watt fan, high efficiency brushless motor and 30-watt solar panel that you can fold (if you have a small space) or extend (up to 37.2 × 18.6 inch) to have more sunlight coverage. On paper, the ECO-WORTHY solar-powered fan is supposed to ventilate areas up to 1960 cubic feet per minute, but many report it is near the 1000 CFM mark.
Pros:
Cons:
6. Solar Blaster Solar Roof Vent
- Solar-powered roof and attic ventilation fan
- Panel: 3W solar panel
- Fan: 2 ball bearing; 2700rpm; 39cfm; rated for 50,000hr
- Base Metal Flashing: 16.5"x16.5"
- No attic access required to install
If you're not a fan of huge systems on your roof due to its bulky appearance, or if your roof cannot handle any heavy components installed, the Solar Blaster roof vent fans could be your solution. They're small enough to not add much weight or obstruction in view from your roof.
Solar Blaster's solar-powered roof and attic ventilation fans feature a 3-watt solar panel (25-year rated) on top of a square-shaped high-quality leak-proof housing. There's also the 50k-hour rated fan with two-ball bearing and 1/8-inch mesh screen to keep insects and pests away from the vents.
The advantage to this kind of solar attic fan is that it's a set-and-forget equipment, but it also means there would be less control since you'd just let the fan "do its thing" whenever temperature increases
Pros:
Cons:
7. Natural Light Ultra Low-Profile 24-watt Solar Attic Fan
- Fixed Built-In 35-Watt Solar Module for Ultra-Low Profile.
- Black housing with Black background for lower visual impact.
- Designed for use on pitched Fiberglass-Asphalt shingle roofs.
- Industry leading Manufacturer's Lifetime Warranty on solar...
- For Attic Spaces up to 2550 sq. ft. Exhaust up to 1597 CFM during...
Natural Light's smaller solar attic fan is for those who prefer style with function. Its ultra low profile makes it a good option, especially with the black powder-coated aluminum housing and black background, if you're not a fan of big and bulky equipment on top of your house.
What's great about this model is that even if it's obviously a well-designed solar fan, it is also solidly built with useful features. It is equipped with a 24-watt solar module and 17-volt motor, which has a venting capacity of up to 2100 square feet of attic space per fan. And because all the wires and cables are already built into this kit, installation is user-friendly and hassle-free.
Natural Light also has an impressive 25-year warranty for all the parts. Yes, motor, solar panels, fan, the works. You'd get your money's worth way before any damage occurs to your solar attic fan.
Pros:
Cons:
Wrap Up: Which is the Best Solar Attic Fan for My Home?
All the solar attic fans we’ve handpicked for this list can be effective for your space.
But here’s our top three: iLIVING Smart Exhaust Solar Roof Attic Fan for those on a budget, and the Amtrak 14 inch Solar Attic Fan for those who want to use a solar attic fan beyond their roofs.
One of the most important things to know about solar attic fans is that there is no “best solar attic fan” for everyone. A particular brand and make may be perfect for your neighbor’s greenhouse, but will be the worst choice for your 2,000-square feet attic. And this definitely does not mean the product is worthless or ineffective.
The best solar attic fan for your home is the unit that can accommodate the space you need to cool down. And if you can’t find any solar attic fan big enough for your needs, it could mean that you might have a better chance of you bought two or more of your chosen solar attic fan
