A climate control system (20) for an animal house (10) is configured by determining a minimum ventilation curve for required minimum ventilation. A plurality of ventilation stages is created based on the minimum ventilation curve and the plurality of ventilation fans (23) in the climate control system, each stage providing a percentage of the required minimum ventilation. Creating the stages includes prioritizing the ventilation fans to create a selection hierarchy and determining a minimum stage ventilation and a maximum stage ventilation for each stage. Ventilation fans are selected following the hierarchy that provides the desired percentage of the minimum required ventilation. An increment between a maximum stage ventilation and a minimum stage ventilation for the next higher stage is defined, wherein the minimum capacity level is a function of the minimum capacity of the group of fans added to the next higher stage and the maximum capacity for the next higher stage is determined based on the increment.