Updated: September 4, 2025
Written by Dan Simms
Laura Madrigal is the Home Design Specialist at Fixr.com, dedicated to identifying and analyzing significant changes within residential design. She is the author of leading trends reports on interior design, kitchen, and bathroom, and her insights have been featured in publications like Realtor and the New York Post.
Learn moreReviewed by Laura Madrigal
A whole-house fan is installed in the ceiling of your main living space and works by pulling hot indoor air into the attic, where it can vent outside. As it does this, it draws in fresh outside air through open windows, helping circulate cool air throughout your home. This natural airflow can improve air quality, lower your indoor temperature, and reduce the need to run your AC system as often. They’re especially popular in hot, humid climates, where they can ease the burden on your AC system during less extreme outdoor temperatures.
The average cost to install a whole-house fan is $1,700, and most homeowners pay somewhere between $900 and $2,600 for the unit and labor. Your total will depend on the type of fan you install, the size, and how complex the installation is.
Cost to Install Whole-House Fan
Whole-House Fan Cost Factors
The total cost of a whole-house fan can vary widely, as several key factors impact the final price. The fan's type and size will affect the price of the unit itself, while the complexity of the installation and whether you are replacing an existing fan or installing a new one will influence the final labor cost. A properly sized fan not only helps maintain comfortable indoor temperatures but also uses less energy than running your AC all day.
Whole-House Fan Cost by Home Size and Capacity (CFM)
A whole-house fan should be able to turn over the air in your entire home every two to three minutes, ensuring steady airflow that replaces stale air with fresh air. Fan capacities are measured in CFM or cubic feet per minute, and according to the Department of Energy, you should aim for a fan with a CFM that’s at least half of your home’s size in cubic feet. You can calculate your the size of your home by multiplying the square feet of living space by your ceiling height in feet, which is usually 8 feet.
The CFM you need will impact your installation costs, since fans with higher capacities will cost more.
Home Size (Square Feet) | CFM Needed (Assuming 8-ft Ceilings) | Average Cost |
1,000 | 4,000 | $600 – $2,200 |
1,500 | 6,000 | $700 – $2,300 |
2,000 | 8,000 | $800 – $2,400 |
2,500 | 10,000 | $900 – $2,500 |
3,000 | 12,000 | $1,000 – $2,600 |
Whole-House Fan Price by Motor Type
In addition to the type and capacity of your whole-house fan, you’ll have options for two different kinds of motors: direct-drive and belt-drive motors.
Direct-drive motors are less expensive upfront because they use simpler components. They require less maintenance but they produce more noise in your home..
Belt-drive motors use a separate motor that runs a belt to spin the fan blades. They’re 10% to 40% more expensive upfront and tend to come with higher ongoing maintenance costs, too. However, they’re much quieter and might be better if you want to minimize interior noise.
Motor Type | Cost (Unit Only) |
Direct-drive | $350 – $900 |
Belt-drive | $500 – $1,200 |
Cost of Whole-House Fan by Mounting System
There are three main types of whole-house fans, and your installation costs will vary based on the type you choose.
Direct-mounted: A direct-mounted fan sits between joists that separate your living space from your attic. This pulls hot air directly from your living space and sends it upward, where it can then escape from attic vents. Direct-mounted whole-house fans are the most common option.
Ducted: Ducted whole-house fans are good for retrofitting an existing home since you won’t need to make structural changes to create a large ceiling opening to accommodate the fan. However, the ductwork this type involves can add between $300 and $1,200 to your total.
Roof-mounted: A roof-mounted whole-house fan sits in your roof and ports air directly outside from your attic. This is an option if you don’t have attic vents installed, but it’s more expensive to install, may require help from a roofer, and comes with the highest risk of leaks.
Type of Fan | Average Cost |
Direct-mounted | $1,400 – $2,000 |
Ducted | $1,800 – $2,400 |
Roof-mounted | $1,800 – $2,400 |
A wall-mounted fan costs around $1,600 to install. It’s the most affordable option and gets installed in the wall of your attic. Since there’s no ductwork connecting your attic to your living space, it’s not technically a whole-house fan and serves more as an attic fan to cool just your attic during the summer. This can help cool your living space indirectly, though.
Whole-House Fan Costs by Diameter
Whole-house fans vary in diameter, but your diameter will usually be chosen for you since it scales with the CFM. As such, you should price out your fan based on capacity rather than diameter.
However, you may be limited in diameter based on where you’re installing your fan. Some ceiling joists, for example, are 24 inches apart on center, so you may only be able to fit a 20-inch fan between them without needing structural changes to your home. Structural changes will drastically increase your installation costs, so you may want to downsize your fan if your CFM requirements allow it.
Whole-House Fan Diameter (Inches) | CFM Rating | Average Cost |
20 | 4,000 | $600 – $2,200 |
30 | 6,000 | $700 – $2,300 |
36 | 7,000 | $750 – $2,550 |
Whole-House Fan Installation Cost
On average, you can expect the labor cost to install a whole-house fan to fall somewhere between $300 and $1,000. This price will include disconnecting and removing your old fan, installing the new one, and making any necessary changes to accommodate the new fan. For new installations, it can include wiring the unit, but electrical work will usually push your total toward the upper end of the price range.
There are many things that can complicate the installation and increase your labor costs. One of the most significant factors is any changes you need to your home’s structural components, which will be more common if you’re installing a whole-house fan for the first time. Limited access to your attic space can also make the job take longer and increase your labor costs. On the other hand, installing a fan in an unfinished attic can help keep costs down, as can replacing an old fan with a new fan of the same size.
Whole-House Fan vs. AC Cost
Installing a whole-house fan costs an average of $1,700, while installing a new AC system costs an average of $6,000, with prices climbing as high as $38,000 in some cases. A whole-house fan is rarely a replacement for an AC system, so it may seem like an unnecessary expense if you already have an air conditioning system in your home. However, a whole-house fan is more affordable to run, and it can reduce how often you run your AC, bringing down energy bills and making your AC more energy efficient.
A whole-house fan is much cheaper to operate. Running a whole-house fan for 24 hours costs roughly $0.48 to $2.64, whereas running a central air conditioning for the same amount of time costs about $4.19 to $20.96. In many homes, this strategy provides comfort with less energy use and improved air quality.
In many cases, a whole-home fan will pay for itself in energy savings, although the payback period depends on the climate in your area, what living space temperature you need to be comfortable, and the size and efficiency of both the fan and the AC unit.
Additional Costs and Considerations
You may run into some other cost factors when you go to install your whole-house fan, so consider all of the following things to get the most accurate estimate possible for your specific home and situation.
Electrical work: Your whole-house fan will need an electrical connection, and if you don’t already have a fan installed, you’ll also need to pay to have an electrician hardwire the new unit. This can add between $50 and $130 per hour, with most installations calling for 1 to 2 hours of work.
Ventilation and louvers: In order for a whole-house fan to cool your home, it needs to be able to exhaust through attic vents. If you don’t already have vents installed, you should expect to pay between $300 and $650 to add them or to replace them if the louvres are damaged or aren’t air-tight when closed.
Ceiling fan pairing: Using a whole-house fan alongside a ceiling fan can improve circulation even more, helping balance indoor temperatures and spreading cool air evenly through your rooms.
Permits and inspections: In some cases, you may need a permit to install a whole-house fan. This is uncommon if you’re just replacing an existing fan, but expect to pay for permit fees if you need electrical work or structural changes. Check with your local building department to see what permits will cost you.
Drywall and finishing: Build-back can add between $300 and $900 to your total, depending on the extent of the work you need. Drywall repairs will usually cost under $100 unless you made significant changes to accommodate your fan, and carpentry for structural work or reinstalling trim can also contribute to these costs.
Geographic location and brand: Where you live can affect your pricing mostly because the local cost of living will play a role in hourly labor costs. Expect to pay more in major metropolitan areas due to increased labor costs. Additionally, the brand of fan you choose will affect the material costs. Brands like Air Vent, Master Flow, and QuietCool can help keep costs down, while premium options like CentricAir and AirScape can increase your total price.
Variable speed: Finally, you may want to consider a whole-house fan with a variable-speed motor, which can operate at multiple speeds for increased efficiency. Not only can this result in a more comfortable living space and lower electric bills, but it can also help reduce interior noise if you just need minimal cooling and ventilation.
DIY vs. Professional Installation
Labor costs to install a whole-house fan total between $300 and $1,000, so you could save that much if you DIY. However, the job involves electrical work, making it dangerous to DIY and, in many municipalities, illegal. You may be able to handle swapping out an existing whole-house fan with a new one, but even then, the work puts you at greater risk of personal injury and house fires, which is never worth it. Overall, it’s always worth hiring a professional, as they will keep you and your home safe and also ensure your fan is sized properly with good ventilation.
How to Save Money on Installation
Installing a whole-house fan can get expensive, but there are a handful of things you can do to reduce costs both upfront and over time.
Size your fan properly: Installing a fan that’s too small won’t cool your home efficiently, but installing a fan that’s too large will cost more in materials and consume more power, leading to unnecessarily high installation and running costs.
Make sure attic vents are air-tight: Invest in good attic vents when you install a whole-house fan to avoid air losses that can contribute to higher heating and cooling costs year-round, even when your fan isn’t in use. If you’re replacing your fan, consider replacing the vents, too, and choose vents with motorized or fan-driven louvers.
Take advantage of rebates and incentives: Your municipality or electric company may offer rebates, tax credits, and other incentives for whole-house fan installations that can bring down upfront costs, especially if you choose an ENERGY STAR-certified unit.
Choose a fan with a direct-drive motor: Fans with direct-drive motors create more noise in your home’s interior, but they cost less upfront and require less maintenance, making them more affordable overall.
Get multiple quotes: Finally, get at least three estimates for the installation and compare them to find the best value. Make sure they all include the same or similar units, as well as any add-on services you need.
FAQs
Installing a whole-house fan costs an average of $1,700, and most homeowners can expect to pay somewhere between $900 and $2,600. Your cost will depend on the size and capacity of the fan, whether you’re installing a whole-house fan for the first time or are replacing an old one, and what add-ons you need, including electrical work, attic vent installation, and structural changes to accommodate the new fan.
Electricians can usually install whole-house fans, especially if you already have the space to house one between your ceiling joists or in your attic space. If you’re installing a whole-house fan for the first time, you may also need to call a carpenter or even a structural engineer to make any necessary changes to your home’s structural components to fit the new unit.
Whole-house fans can be worth the cost and often even pay for themselves, but it depends on a few factors. First off, they’re most worth it in areas that see hot temperatures during the day and cool, comfortable temperatures at night, as you can run your fan overnight instead of your AC to bring down cooling costs. Whole-house fans can provide other benefits that make them worthwhile, too, like reducing the wear and tear and required maintenance on your HVAC system.
The average cost to install a whole-house fan is $1,700, so you should expect costs around there in most cases. If you have a smaller home and just need to remove an existing whole-house fan to install the new one, expect costs closer to $600. Prices can climb as high as $3,500 or more if you have an oversized home that demands a large, high-capacity fan, and you also need structural changes or new electrical wiring run to the installation site to accommodate the new unit.
Whole-house fans consume between 120 and 600 watts, on average, which means they cost between $0.48 and $2.64 per day to run if you have them running all day. More often, homeowners will run them just at night when the outdoor air is cooler, so running them for just 8 hours at night would cost between $0.16 and $0.88 per day. Whole-house fans cost a fraction of what a central AC system would cost to run, making them a more cost-effective option for cooling.