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Old 04-26-09, 05:05 PM   #22
Homeless
Helper EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Austin, Texas
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Just wanted to add that currently, the frig is showing .025 kWh per hour.

This is with no modifiactions to the frig. The temperature is set to the lowest ( warmest ) setting just above 'off ', yet the food stays fresh. The frozen items are not rock hard, but they are cold enough to be very rigid.
This is actually prefered over 'rock solid' because my small sanwich maker cooks the food quicker, using less energy.

.025 kWh is not bad, but it is a heck of a lot worse than what I am aiming for.
I have run it for the last 24 hours and the average is .025 kWh.

Earlier, I tested it with 1/4 thick styrofoam sheeting all around ( except where the hot compressor is.) I also left the top uncovered, thinking that since hot air escapes upwards, this would allow the heat from the frig to have a place to go.

I got the styrofoam from the trash compactor at work.

After running the frig for around three to four hours, I concluded that the extra insullation was doing almost nothing . I adhered the foam using tape, but I made sure that the foam was snug.

I gained maybe a minute or two of time between when the frig would turn on, but with the normal variations in shut on time, this may have had nothing at all to do with the extra insullation.

Any ideas what I might have been doing wrong ? Temperatures that day were rather cool. (55 - 60 ish ) Would I see more or less of an effect on a hot day ?

I found a really nice 5 Cu. ft. chest freezer for $ 165 at my job. Although I could save some energy by converting this to a chest frig, I have to consider the emissions produced in the production of the freezer.
I think that this would far outweigh the extra ( powerplant ) emissions from using my frig as it is.

Besides, when you convert a chest freezer to a frig, where do you store your frozen foods ??
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