DIYbanter - View Single Post - Why aren't refrigerators & freezers designed to benefit from outside cold air?

J Burns

On 7/6/15 12:12 AM, wrote:
On Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 7:39:00 AM UTC-8, 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?

all of the responses I've read make the assumption we have A/C. my
house doesn't. I live in Oregon. the few weeks when it gets very
hot the refrigerator feels like the range has been left on. simply
venting this hot air out thru the roof or exterior wall doesn't seem
too difficult. I could add a bathroom vent fan if needed and have it
turn on when the refr runs. all of this is a comfort issue, not $
savings.

If your house it too hot because it's hot outside, turning on a vent fan
will bring in hot air, any way it can get in.

You can probably get a Kill-o-watt digital meter for under $20. It will
tell you how much electricity your refrigerator uses. Mine averages 50
watts or 36kwh a month. If yours uses much more, you could be a little
cooler by replacing it.