Interesting. So essentially the same as having fans in your windows, but without all of the noise (since one powerful fan in a central location is pulling air out of the house)
Yep. Growing up it was a 36" direct drive motor attached to the fan blades. It was a louder unit, but that was fine since it was in the back of the house away from bedrooms. There are quieter units available which are driven by DC motors with additional sound isolation features available, such as https://quietcoolsystems.com/whole-house-fan/. Probably the direction I will go when I install one.
