In an ideal world, all homeowners would have the interest and resources to purchase zero-energy homes that not only dramatically reduce their utility bills but also give energy back to the power grid. Although zero-energy homes are not an option for most folks, super-efficient technologies are.
“We're taking what we learned from the zero-energy house and whittling it down to give homeowners a palette of reasonable and practical choices,” says Jeff Jacobs, a project manager for Centex, which recently completed a prototype zero-energy house in Livermore, Calif.
From improved insulation to energy-saving fluorescent lighting to super-efficient HVAC equipment, every little bit helps make a home more energy efficient and comfortable, Jacobs says. Ventilation is a key component of an energy-efficient house, and Energy Star-rated bathroom fans can play an important role in the overall energy-savings picture.
According to Robb Aldrich of Steven Winter Associates architectural/engineering firm in Norwalk, Conn., big builders don't always think about energy-efficient products. As an energy consultant to builders in cities such as Chicago and Atlantic City, N.J., Aldrich does everything from poring over plans to specing products, including quiet and efficient bathroom fans.
However, once bathroom fans are installed, it's up to the homeowner to make the most of them.
“The builder can only do so much. In the end it comes down to use,” Aldrich readily admits.
Loud, noisy fans are a huge turn-off—literally—for homeowners, claims Larry Hershkowitz, marketing manager for Panasonic's building and lighting departments.
“They don't want something that sounds like an aircraft overhead,” he says.
Increasingly tighter homes and the growing popularity of steam-generating bathroom fixtures necessitate the need for proper ventilation more than ever, asserts Patrick Nielsen, product manager for Broan-NuTone's ventilation fans.
In order to get homeowners to use their fans, the EPA mandates that Energy Star-rated fans must be super efficient as well as ultra quiet. Specifically, Energy Star-rated 130-cfm fans cannot produce more than a sound level of 2 sones; 500-cfm fans can produce no more than 3 sones. (Most bathroom fans are 130 cfm or less.)
QUALITY CONTROLIn addition to being quiet, Energy Star-rated bathroom fans must push at least 1.4 cfm/watt for small products (80 cfm or less) and 2.8 cfm/watt for larger units (90 to 500 cfm); and all lighted fans must employ energy-efficient compact fluorescent lighting.
Nevertheless, Energy Star-approved units are pricier than their louder and less-efficient counterparts. Such fans cost $100 to $150 (retail) on average, while non-rated units can be had for much less.
“The lowest-cost fans, which are typically three times louder than Energy Star-qualified fans, can go as low as $30,” comments David Shiller, Energy Star marketing manager.
Experts estimate that qualified products accounted for about 13 percent of bathroom ventilation fans installed in new houses and remodeling projects in 2003, but Energy Star officials hope that those numbers will swell as utilities offer pros incentives for installing qualified fans.
According to Shiller, the EPA hopes to see more programs like Northeast Energy Star, a consortium of utilities in New England that are including bathroom vent fans with lighting in their energy-efficient lighting programs. Under the program, rebates and advertising incentives are available to pro, manufacturer, and retail partners who promote Energy Star-qualified products.
Even though homeowners don't save big bucks on energy costs with an Energy Star-approved bath fan alone (Nielsen estimates that a typical family saves about $50 over five years), it's necessary to install rated products for other reasons.
“To make sure that moisture generated from the bathroom is exhausted from the house, the vent fan needs to run longer, but nobody wants to listen to a noisy fan,” Shiller says. “A quieter [Energy Star-qualified] fan means it will more likely be used more frequently and for longer periods, which means there will be less chance of mold buildup in the bathroom.”
And fewer opportunities for mold growth mean less worrying about liability for the pro, notes Hershkowitz.
OTHER ROOMSAlthough nearly all ventilation fans are used in bathroom applications, experts predict that other-room applications will grow in tightly built homes.
“Indoor air quality is a big issue now and people need ventilation throughout the home. We're seeing [fans] in craft and utility rooms and basements and just being used to get rid of odors,” says Nielsen.
In addition, manufacturers also predict that models will become more sophisticated; bathroom fans will become integrated with occupant sensors (humidity sensors already are available) that will turn the units up when a person enters the room and lower the running level when the person leaves, for continuous ventilation.
Aldrich even thinks that electric energy monitors that display the energy use of different appliances/systems throughout the home aren't far off, and would encourage construction of more energy-efficient buildings and zero-energy homes.
Energy monitors would really make homeowners aware of their energy consumption; the thought of having low or no utility bills would hit home, he says.
Venting AdviceThe Home Ventilating Institute, which supplies the EPA with product testing and certification information, offers the following tips for bathroom ventilation:
- For bathrooms up to 100 square feet in area, an exhaust fan should provide 1 cfm per square foot, for example: An 8-foot-by-5-foot bathroom has an area of 40 feet so it should have a 40-cfm fan.
- For bathrooms greater than 100 square feet, ventilation is based on the number and type of fixtures present, noting the following items require the minimum cfms stated: toilet—50 cfm; shower—50 cfm; tub—50 cfm; jetted tub—100 cfm.
- The bathroom fan should be left on for 20 minutes after the use of the bathroom to completely ventilate the room.
Credit: Fantech
Credit: GE
Credit: Broan-NuTone
Credit: Air King
Credit: American Aldes
Credit: Panasonic