On Jan 28, 10:54*am, wrote:
On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0500, blueman wrote:
I have always wondered about this one...
Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
temperature at least 6 months of the year.

Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
not frigid external air?

Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
loading the AC?

Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
draw on the compressor during winter months.

Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?


A little more expensive? The cost of the install of a coventional
refrigerator is zero, you just plug it in. I replaced mine last year
with a 23 cft side by side with water and ice at the door. Operating
cost is about $95 a year. How much do you think you're going to save
in operating costs by moving the condenser outside? In many houses
you'd have to run how many feet of refrigerant tubing to get from the
fridge to a suitable location to house the outside unit? Factor in
installation costs (see the other thread here about permitting
requirements for similar installs) a more complex system, more points
of failure, shorter life due to exposure to the elements and you
clearly have a non-starter.

Also, what happens when it's 10 degrees outside? A regular
refrigerator won't operate below a certain ambient temperature because
of issues with the refrigerant and compressor.




Cost, complexity and reliability.- Hide quoted text -

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