Subject: refrigerator ideas

From: [email-masked] (Tom Leone)
Date: 14 Jun 1994 16:31:24 GMT

I understand that refrigerators account for a large percent of a "typical"
home's electricity consumption (does anyone have a reliable breakdown?).
In the interest of conservation, wouldn't it be feasible to take advantage
of cold weather for refrigeration? (obviously only in winter, in cold
climates)

Here are some ideas I have played with:

1) Old-fashioned ice box, using snow and ice from outdoors.  Too much
hassle for a typical user.

2) Refrigerator built into outside wall of house, with the refrigerator's
coils exposed to outdoor air.  This would reduce the energy required to
reject waste heat from the coils during winter, and reduce air
conditioning load for living space during the summer.

3) Refrigerator built into outside wall of house, with only the door
exposed to the inside of the house.  This would give the benefits stated
above, plus reduce heat transfer losses from frig walls during winter.
However, it might make the refrigerator into a freezer in a very cold
climate.

4) During winter, turn off the refrigerator's vapor compression
refrigeration system, and use a simple thermostatically-controlled
circulating liquid heat exchange system.  There is no need for vapor
compression if ambient temperatures are lower than the desired
refrigerator temperature.  This system is probably impractical, because it
requires the additional expense of a duplicate heat exchanger system, plus
the user (or a microprocessor) would have to switch between systems as the
weather changes.  Efficiency gains may also be small (anyone have educated
guesses?).

5) On a different note: use a small refrigerator, if you don't need the
storage space of a big one!  I understand that this is common in Europe,
and I've noticed that many Americans don't use all the space available
because they don't cook at home much anymore.

Does 2) above actually seem feasible?  Are refrigerators efficient and
durable when the coil and compressor are exposed to below-freezing
temperatures?  What else have I overlooked? (besides the obvious need to
protect outdoor components from rain, dust, animals, etc.)

I invite comments and discussion (preferably with a copy to me by email,
in case I miss a posting).  I'm also curious if I am re-inventing
something which is already commercially available.

Tom Leone <[email-masked]>