On Jan 28, 5:30*pm, "John Grabowski" wrote:
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?

*You reminded me of something that I saw in several homes and apartments in
Sweden many, many years ago. *In the kitchens they had a dedicated cabinet
that had a vent pipe to the outside. *This made the cabinet cold enough to
keep things fresh, but not frozen. *The winters are cold, dark and long
there so these cabinets could be used for many months.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

"In Sweden...In the kitchens they had a dedicated cabinet that had
a vent pipe to the outside."

When I was in the Coast Guard and stationed in Alaska, the windows in
our sleeping quarters were sealed shut, but there were 3 or 4 holes in
the bottom of the wooden sashes. The holes were filled with corks that
could be removed for fresh air.

I (as well as many others) removed the corks and screwed a styrofoam
lined wooden box to the window sill. The box had a hinged door and was
big enough room to hold a six-pack of your favorite beverage.

I used to enjoy the Miller nips (7-oz bottles). On the coldest days, I
could come back to my room, put a couple of warm beers in the box and
by the time I had washed up and changed into my civvies, the beers
would be ice cold.

You had to be careful...you could freeze a 12 oz can in under 10
minutes on some days.