In a prior post we covered how to install our AirScape line of whole house fans vertically or on a slope. In this post, we’ll do the same for our Kohilo line.
There are many differences between our AirScape and Kohilo fans, but the important one for our purposes here is how their backdraft dampers function. AirScape fans use actuators to mechanically open and close their damper doors whenever the fan is turned on and off. This allows us to insulate the dampers and for their door to seal airtight when closed.
Every summer has its own story. For residents of Southern California, this summer’s story is going to include a chapter about rolling blackouts. The L.A. Times wrote the prequel earlier this month. To summarize, the natural gas leak this winter at the Aliso Canyon Underground Storage Facility has left Southern California short on natural gas, which means that, come summer, the region’s utilities could be unable to generate enough electricity to meet demand. To prevent the entire grid from, power managers will institute rolling blackouts by cutting electricity to certain individual sectors of the grid at moments of peak demand.
To many, the possibility of a blackout seems quaint. Who doesn’t enjoy the occasional candlelit dinner? And what parent doesn’t wish their kids would watch less television? The reality of blackouts, however, is deadly serious. Electricity provides us with more than just entertainment. We depend on it to, among other things, refrigerate our food, power hospital equipment, and illuminate traffic signals. We hardly notice it when it’s there, but without electricity are lives are much less safe.
Over the years ve’ve also fielded a lot of questions from customers wanting to know if our fans’ dampers can be installed vertically (i.e. in a wall rather than over a ceiling) or at an angle on top of a vaulted ceiling. The short answer to both questions is “yes”, but there are some important limits that need to be considered, which we’d like to go over. Please note: this blog post is limited to our line of AirScape fans—Kohilo models will be covered in a future post.
Our newest model of whole house fan, the 5.0e, is has been available on our website since spring. We’re extremely excited about it. Not only is this our first new fan in several years, but it is also our most powerful and our most efficient fan ever. Moreover, we’re manufacturing a greater portion of this fan “in-house” at our Medford, Oregon facility than any of our other fans. We’re also seeking a patent for some of the innovations behind its performance. As our patent is finally “pending”, we can now share the story of the 5.0e’s development.
As you might be aware, we here at AirScape are located in beautiful Southern Oregon—Medford to be exact. The climate here is pretty terrific: not too hot, cold, or humid, and with low overnight temperatures, even during the summer. In this climate it is completely realistic to replace traditional A/C with a whole house fan (depending, of course, on the size of home and desired indoor temperature). To see just how well one of our fans works in Southern Oregon, check out the data from our Ashland Data Monitoring demo site.
The ongoing heat wave in the Western states has been generating a lot of interest in our fans. If you’re reading this from Southern Oregon or within easy driving distance thereof, we’d like you to know about an offer we extend to “locals”: Anyone interested in purchasing an AirScape whole house fan and willing to pick it up in person at our Medford, Oregon facility can take advantage of:
Zero shipping charges (obviously); and,
A 10% discount on their purchase.
There are two caveats. Firstly, this offer is strictly “FOB Origin”: you are responsible for transporting your purchase to its install location, and for any damage it might sustain en route thereto. Secondly, you need to call us directly at 1.866.448.4187 to place your order and arrange to pick it up.
If you’re cooling your home with A/C, rising temperatures mean heavier electrical bills. If you’re not, they mean hot, stuffy bedrooms, lost sleep, and a lower quality of life. In either case, there’s no need to suffer. Our whole house fans offer a natural, energy-efficient means of cooling your home. Call us today to find the right solution for you.
Not really. The headline above is a little tongue-in-cheek. Readers of this blog will know our fans are designed to be run at night, when cool outdoor temperatures can be drawn indoors. Since photovoltaic cells can’t generate electricity at night, directly powering a whole house fan with solar generated electricity isn’t possible—unless, of course, one wants to run their fan during the day, which would heat the home rather than cool it!
We do, however, frequently receive calls from homeowners wanting to know if they can run a whole house fan directly off of their home solar array. We wish they could. Because they’re a more efficient substitute for mechanical air conditioning, whole house fans greatly compliment solar by reducing the size of array needed to provide the same cooling. But again, photovoltaics don’t work at night.
To operate a whole house fan with electricity generated by a solar array, homeowners need some sort of energy storage device that would allow them to store electricity they generate but do not use during the day. Then, this stored electricity could be drawn down through the night to power the whole house fan.
In short, they need a battery—which is why we’ve followed Tesla’s recent announcement of their new Powerwall home battery system with great interest. Home battery systems have been available for some time now. But they have never been as prominent in the popular discourse as they are now, makings this the ideal moment for a blog post “back of the envelope” analysis about using a home battery to operate an AirScape fan.
