Green Fridge Invention Uses Almost No Electricity
Nearly every household on Earth has a fridge that totally wastes at least 30 kwh of energy every month. Most of the energy is wasted every time you open the door. Cold air is heavier and falls out on the floor every time you open your fridge and warm air rises to fill the space it left. But with a top opening fridge; even if you leave the door wide open, gravity effortlessly leaves the heavy cold air inside.
A clever Australian inventor, Tom Chalko has converted a deep freeze into an incredibly efficient refrigerator that only has to run for a minute or two every hour to maintain normal fridge temperatures, using only about 100 watts of power a day.
The only difference between a freezer and a fridge is the temperature maintained inside. Freezers maintain freezing temperatures, while fridges operate somewhere between 0 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. So turning a freezer into a fridge; for Tom, just meant installing a simple external thermostat to cut the power off when it reaches the temperature he set.
(Carried away with his energy reduction; he also took out the 15 watt interior light bulb, but he will reconsider this, if he ever finds some reason “for opening my fridge in the dark.”)
His home-made fridge uses much energy in 24 hours as a 100W light bulb gets through in just an hour.
Not only is it energy efficient; but it’s absolutely silent too. The thing is only running for a minute or two every hour. At all other times it is perfectly quiet and consumes no power whatsoever.
I wonder why no company has thought of this easy way to cut energy use in fridges?
All you clever designers out there; leave your thoughts on how to make a top-open fridge easy to get stuff in and out of. You just need a way for drawers to slide up, so you can access the depths without leaning down into a huge box. Devise your system so it needs no electricity, of course.
Via Build It Solar
23 Comments so far to “Green Fridge Invention Uses Almost No Electricity”
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Friends
August 15th, 2009 at 4:53 am
That is hilariously awesome. Wow. I want one.
August 15th, 2009 at 9:49 am
Terrific idea, thank you for writing about it. Maybe some company will come up with such a product for the mass market. Sometimes improvements consist of "working" smarter, not harder. In case anyone has not yet heard this or figured this out, there is a LOT of hidden waste in industrialized societies. It is time to start squeezing them out, as this refrigerator does.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
terrific idea. the entire world should benifit from this idea. it would ge better if someone commercialises this…… this person should be rewarded.
August 16th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
You write "Freezers maintain freezing temperatures, while fridges operate somewhere between 0 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit". Anything below 32 degrees would be freezing on the Fahrenheit scale.
August 17th, 2009 at 8:42 am
These are already used in restaurants, shops etc… Dont know how practical it will be in an everyday home
August 17th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Better if he invents a way to do the same in a fridge standing vertically. In city apartments, there may be too little space to lay down a big fridge
August 17th, 2009 at 11:20 am
A very good idea, certainly, but far from a new one.
In the homebrewing world, folks turn chest freezers into über-efficient kegerators all the time. In that case, you will often see a wooden surround placed between lid and the chest freezer through which tubes and taps can be run. It impacts efficiency surprisingly little.
Any decent homebrewing store will sell a temperature controlled relay.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:43 am
Make it open up like a tackle box. put some hydraulics like in hatchback cars to keep lid open.
August 17th, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Regarding the lighting conundrum, it could be an idea to use LEDs instead of the light bulb to provide energy-efficient lighting.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:06 pm
You can buy the freezer and the external thermostat here.
http://www.backwoodssolar.com/.....tm#CROSLEY
August 17th, 2009 at 10:07 pm
This problem has already been solved in campervans and yachts where ultra low power refrigeration is important – almost all fridges in these applications are top loading. The barrier to uptake in the home is convenience, no one likes digging bent over in a chest freezer for the frozen chook at the bottom, let alone digging for leftovers in the bottom of a chest fridge.
10 points for self retrofitting an existing appliance by using a simple electronic power timer on the wall outlet.
0 points for invention.
August 18th, 2009 at 1:24 am
You could put a horizontal plastic sheet across each shelf which was held in place with elastic so you could pull it aside when trying to get to the food. It would help to keep the cool air in.
Or, you could eliminate shelves and just have the fridge contain large air tight drawers. The air would be cooled inside the drawers so that you would only lose a little bit of cool air when you pulled them out.
August 19th, 2009 at 3:55 am
[...] Green Fridge Invention Uses Almost No Electricity – “Nearly every household on Earth has a fridge that totally wastes at least 30 kwh of energy every month. Most of the energy is wasted every time you open the door. Cold air is heavier and falls out on the floor every time you open your fridge and warm air rises to fill the space it left. But with a top opening fridge; even if you leave the door wide open, gravity effortlessly leaves the heavy cold air inside…” [...]
August 19th, 2009 at 10:47 pm
The problems of awkward access and lack of counter space could be solved by making a fridge that had drawers like a dresser, then the top would be usable as counter space and different food types could have their own climate areas while still keeping the eco advantages of a top loader.
August 20th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Add a solar panel and this can really perpetuate itself!
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:42 am
this is a cool idea but what i know is that the fridge i am using at my homes works on the same principle it is not on the whole day as to speak
it draws power only some times in a day like twice in an hour for 5 minutes i suppose
i know that is quite a lot but still it is a 220L fridge it has to take this much energy..
any comments whether i am wrong or right…
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
You could use that system that some posh CD holders have, where they move around on a kind of conveyor belt system – the drawers would rest at either end on a chain of some sort that moves around (like along and then down and along the other way and then up), so when you push a drawer they would all move round. Well, I know what I mean.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:20 pm
[...] Home Design Find: Green Fridge Invention Uses Almost No Electricity [...]
August 31st, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Varun: The only substantial difference between the refrigerator in the article and the one in your home is the energy lost when the door is open. If you rarely open your refrigerator, it should have very similar power usage assuming similar efficiency ratings.
August 31st, 2009 at 3:22 pm
[...] rest is here. Tags: green technology, refridgerator, refrigerator « What is more [...]
September 1st, 2009 at 12:31 pm
[...] [Home Design Find via Mutate!] [...]
November 18th, 2009 at 10:47 am
I have a friend who installed a hydraulic lift system in his. It replaces the hinges so when you press a button the top moves up allowing access to the interior while keeping the top available for counter space. Great idea.
December 28th, 2009 at 10:05 am
I like the idea the cold stays put the compressor is on less, probably due to being for a fridge now. we all fall for the sales guys "takes up little floor space and AAA rating" got me to think about what i need not what they want to sell me i have shelves not drawers and always have to pull things out to get to the back. didn't do the math just know if its not on it's not it not using power