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QuietCool whole house fans are a key part of the picture if you are interested in a holistic approach to energy savings. However, if you’ve done any research on the fans, you probably felt a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of whole house fan models they have.
QuietCool sells 4 different lines of whole house fans: Classic, Energy Saver, Trident Pro, and Stealth Pro. Each line has 7 sizes. Add that all up you have 28 whole house fans to choose from.
Let’s simplify your research.
Since saving energy while staying comfortable is what we do at Cosmic Comfort, so we put together this Quietcool guide! Now you can get one of the best bang for your buck home energy upgrades without second guessing yourself.
In this guide we will cover:
No matter which line you’re looking at, QuietCool fans are named and rated around their airflow. A fan that moves around 4,800 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM) will have a name like Trident 4.8 or Energy Saver 4700. Focus on the number to compare fans of the same size.
QuietCool recommends installing a whole house fan with 2-3 cfm per square foot of home living area and lists the square inches of attic venting required per fan. In our experience most people will be happiest with 3 cfm of air flow or the largest fan that their attic venting will support.
The reason we recommend sticking to the higher cfm fans is a larger fan running on low is more efficient than a small fan running on high and will be quieter for the same amount of airflow. For pure energy savings smaller fans work great but most people want the option to turn the fan on and feel strong air movement immediately.
Later in this guide we will break down each size of fan and which size home it works best in.
Before we get into the fan by fan comparisons, let’s define a few terms:
QuietCool Classic whole house fans use a 2 speed PSC motor while QuietCool Energy Saver fans use a quieter, more energy-efficient 2 speed ECM motor. Controls are not included in the box but both lines offer a 10-year warranty.
In the fan by fan comparison section below we have full specs listed for each size of fan to help you determine which model is best for you.
QuietCool Stealth Pro fans use an energy-efficient ECM motor with 3 speeds for most models compared to the Trident Pro’s 2 speed PSC motor. The Stealth fans are slightly quieter than the same size Trident fan and have an ultra-efficient low speed for overnight use.
Both Stealth and Trident fans are from QuietCool’s flagship professional line and are only available through authorized dealers. The professional line of fans are further distinguished from the retail lines by including wall controls and extending the warranty to 15 years.
In our opinion, its worth it to opt for a fan from a professional line for the included controls and extra warranty. The fan only purchase price from a QuietCool dealer like Cosmic Comfort will be very competitive with a retail model purchased at a big box store.
The only downside is local pickup at a dealer compared to shipping to your home from a store.
If you intend to pay someone to install the fan for you, buying from a dealer will almost certainly be more cost-effective than purchasing a fan by itself and finding a competent contractor to install it for you.
Beyond dealer vs retail purchase, what you are really comparing in QuietCool fan lines are PSC and ECM motors.
In our experience a Trident / Classic fan with a PSC motor make sense in 3 scenarios:
In all other cases we feel the Stealth / Energy Saver lines are the best choice because:
There are 3 control options for QuietCool Whole house fans, each with pros and cons. The options are: a remote, hardwired switches with a timer, or hardwired switches with a smart switch.
Pros:
Cons:
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There’s a lot of confusion about attic fans. In fact we have a whole blog post about the difference between attic fans and whole house fans. But here’s the short version:
Attic fans run during the hottest part of the day while whole house fans run at the coolest time so no, the fans aren’t redundant. With their relatively low cost and energy use Attic Gable Fans (if you have a gable vent) are a good buy.
If you don’t have a gable vent but do have a standard shingle roof an Attic Roof Mount Fan is a good choice.
Solar attic fans cost more and move much less air so I don’t feel they are a good buy for most people.
A QuietCool Smart Attic Gable fan can be added to any installation for $499 while the Roof Mount Fan is $799 as an add on.
Fans are great and all but what’s the bottom line? What will it cost and when does it pay off?
The great news is that when used as recommended, a QuietCool whole house fan with installation typically pays for itself in energy savings in 2-4 years. If you are the DIY type and donate your labor, it’s more like a 1 year pay off! Even casual investors know that a 40+% annual return on investment is amazing.
Getting Your Fan
To find out which fan is best for your home, we have built a short quiz that gathers your home’s info and sends you quotes on the fan choices appropriate for your home. Click the button below to try it out!