A ventilation and lighting system having a fan, a grille having one or more lighting elements and a controller that coordinates operation of the fan and the one or more lighting elements from a remote location. The controller defines scene control configured to define one or more scenes, each of which defines a predefined light control and fan control. The light control can have predefined settings of color, duration, intensity, saturation, and/or correlated color temperature. The fan control can have predefined settings of duration and/or power.

A multifunction adaptive whole house fan system can include a whole house fan to pull large volume of air through a building structure. The whole house fan can pull air from a motorized window or damper into the building structure and expel air through an attic. The system can monitor the environment to operate the whole house fan when desired conditions are present in coordination with other systems of the building structure to reduce overall energy consumption.

The present invention relates to a rooftop exhaust fan that is pivotally mounted to a curb or other support structure and which, in response to pivoting the exhaust fan from a closed position to an inclined open position, the exhaust fan is automatically locked in the inclined open position.

A windband for an exhaust fan system. The windband comprises an elongate housing receivable about a exit nozzle of the exhaust fan system, an air inducer formed from a perforated material and positioned adjacent the bottom portion of the elongate housing, and a discharge sleeve positioned adjacent and secured to the top portion of the elongate housing. The discharge sleeve is formed from a perforated material and forms a passageway through which gas from the nozzle and induced ambient air passing through the elongate housing are discharged. The perforated air inducer and discharge sleeve together assist in the minimization of a pressure differential between an upwind side of the windband and a downwind side of the windband when the windband is subjected to wind striking the windband at an angle.

A multifunction adaptive whole house fan system can include a whole house fan to pull large volume of air through a building structure. The whole house fan can pull air from a window or damper into the building structure and expel air through an attic. The system can monitor the environment to operate the whole house fan when desired conditions are present in coordination with other systems of the building structure to reduce overall energy consumption.

The present invention entails a rooftop exhaust system for a building. The exhaust system includes a motor that is configured to directly drive a fan. The fan during the course of operation generates a negative pressure on the upstream side of the fan. This negative pressure is utilized to induce outside cooling air into a shroud that partially encloses the motor. Cooling air passing through the shroud contacts the motor and heat associated with the motor is transferred to the cooling air after which the cooling air exits the shroud.

An exhaust fan configured to exhaust air from a building includes a housing, a fan, and a motor for driving the fan. Overlying the fan is one or more dampers that are moveable from a closed position to an open position. Underlying the dampers is at least one pivot arm per damper that is pivotally connected to the fan and which normally assumes a horizontal position spaced from the overlying damper. A mechanical fusible link is connected to the pivot arm and is configured to break in response to a buildup of heat in and around the dampers. Once the fusible link breaks, then the pivot arm is operative to engage and open the overlying damper.

A rooftop exhaust fan incorporates a mechanical motor lockout that prevents a fan motor from being energized when the exhaust fan assumes an open position for cleaning, maintenance or inspection.

An automated cooling system and method for energy efficient use with a building structure by adjusting operational parameters is provided. The automated cooling system can adjust operational parameters in response to conditions (e.g., temperature, humidity) detected by sensors located at one or more strategically selected locations inside or outside the building structure. The automated cooling system can ramp speeds of a motor that rotates fan blades in response to changes in the air temperature in the building structure so as to maintain a desired temperature without switching on and off the motor to preserve fan blade inertia.

According to an aspect of this disclosure, a ventilation and lighting system including a main housing having an inlet opening and a discharge opening, a blower and motor assembly disposed within a housing and operable to move air through the inlet and outlet, a grille configured to be located at the inlet opening, the grille having a cavity and a plate defining a plurality of apertures through which air may move, and one or more lighting elements arranged within the cavity and an optical component covering the cavity. The system is arranged such that light developed by the one or more lighting elements mixes within the cavity and transmits through the optical component covering the cavity, and the system further includes a controller that coordinates operation of the blower and motor assembly and the one or more lighting elements from a remote location.