i asked about a solar attic fan a few weeks back and wanted to show some follow-up pics.
while we were just looking for a fan, we started talking to a company that does "green"/energy upgrades, and decided to get a full package. It was more than we were intitially looking to spend, but it is financed, and the payments are less than what we'll be saving each month, so it made sense to move forward.
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very conservative estimate is that we will save about 25-30% of our energy (gas/electric) bills each month (could easily be upwards of 40-50%). in a place where the AC is running from Feb-Nov/Dec, this adds up to a significant amount. we will get a 30% govt. rebate with our 2012 taxes on the total cost of the package, and I negotiated an extra 15% returned to us via check for participating in the marketing program.
to date, we've installed a radiant heat barrier, attic fan, had the ductwork resealed, had the doors resealed, and blown in another 5" or so of insulation. We're also having a film put on some of our windows to cut out UV rays and additional heat transfer on southern windows - they were out of stock so will be doing the install later in the week.
when all is said and done, the system is going to pay for itself in 3-4 years.
pics:
insulation and heat barrier
far end of the attic as seen from the drop down stairs. you could not see either end of the attic from the stairs before the installation. with all of the light reflecting, one CFL is enough to light the whole thing.
solar fan (in motion) - was spinning yesterday despite being overcast/rainy all day.
With the mods, the attic isn't supposed to heat up more than 10-15degrees above the ambient temperature outside. It was in the low 70s yesterday, and about the same temperature in the attic.