Why is this considered revolutionary?

Question

I just read this story on yahoo news http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070724/ap_on_re_us/ice_cooling

It's about a new and revolutionary way of cooling buildings without using A/C. This isn't new, they were doing this a hundred years ago, everyone knows if you have a block of ice and blow a fan over it into a ducting system you have a cooling system. I did some work on the Cuban Club in Tampa 10 years ago and they still had a system very similar to this.

What other ideas of yesteryear can we use to help the environment and save money?

Answer 1

I fully agree that this is a simple and efficient way to cool buildings, I also lived in New Mexico and know about swamp coolers, I love them, they are cheap to operate and the only thing that can go wrong is the drive belt or the float valve being stuck, but they don't work good in climates with high humidity.

All of this is so simple and wouldn't go well with the new push-button society of nowadays, the society that would starve to death when the electric can opener doesn't work.

Answer 2

That is a good idea, but it is not new, not revolutionary and DOES use A/C. There is no important difference between an air conditioner and a freezer. All they are doing is using a freezer to make ice and then using the ice to cool the air. A regular air conditioner is just a freezer with air blowing through it. OK, not exactly like that, but close enough; don't get technical. The only advantage of this ice system is that they use more electricity at night to make the ice when it is cool and everyone else has turned off their A/C and there is plenty of spare generating capacity. Then during the day, when the electric grid is struggling to supply enough electricity to all those air conditioners, this system uses a comparatively low powered fan to blow air over the ice. A good idea but neither revolutionary nor new. It is storing "cold" in the ice because you cannot store electricity that was generated last night for use today. And don't say you can store electricity with batteries, because that is getting too technical again. If you want to get technical, the battery uses electricity to cause chemical reactions in the battery to make chemicals that later can be used in chemical reactions in the battery can make electricity. This system stores ice, to be used later to cool air without electricity. And it is cheaper than batteries.

Answer 3

PERMACULTURE ANSWER

Very good ,
it is revolutionary because it goes against the money making principle of those who supply electricty and airconditionars

I have just finished building a water fridge for a school in the sticks ,near Acapulco

a small square room with the bricks not touching ,and so leaving spaces between them ,these holes are filled with charcoal or better still clinkers(from industrial boilers)
then moequito netting on the inside against the walls for the flies,
And small chick wire for the mice and rats

then water is dripped over the walls .And the passing air is robbed of the heat by the humidity within and upon the charcoal or clinkers ,

This is how farmers in South Africa made fridges already long ago.
the same idea as the wet straw in front of the windows.

i used to keep beer cold in the field by hanging them in a wet jute sack from a tree in a draft.

And we used to cool the house down in the summer ,by hanging the same kind of bag or wet cloth in front of the open windows

All the same principle.

And in the USA and England they used to bring Ice from the northpole and burried it ,
or had special rooms to use as cooling houses in the old days

A lot can already be done to cool houses down, just with design.

Have a hole on the lowest part of a wall in the shade
and the cold air will enter.
At the same time make a hole on the highest point of the cealing ,and the hot air escapes pulling the cooler air upwards
this creates a cold draft that will cool down the house

There are many more ways
unglazed clay pots will sweat ,
put them in an in coming draft and the effect is cool air

One can also put a pipe in a cold draft awy from the house ,for example a nearby creek and send the cold air towards the house .

read the Permaculture Designer Manual for more ideas

what is Permaculture
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtmvIoRz.1M75InlHGmpeY7sy6IX?qid=20070621234541AAcarVJ
more Permaculture answers
http://answers.yahoo.com/my/qa/index;_ylt=AhYBPfXXi5ETOOw1IAcx3fHty6IX?link=starred&more=y

Answer 4

Actually, it is not revolutionary or green. Someone is using electricity and fuel somewhere to make the ice and truck it to those large bank buildings.

What they are doing is contingency planning in case of power interruptions. At the same time, the "risk due to AC creating greenhouse gasses and paying a CO2 tax" is transferred to the company making the ice. Look at the millions these sharks are going to make on CO2 credits, that will pay for the system and some ice manufacturers profits go down, all the while the environment continues to suffer.

Bunch of very smart heartless crooks.

Answer 5

We tend to forget how folks survived years ago. Money was tight for most folks and people tended to not waste so much, so they had to think out of the box to survive. We all need to go back in time to recapture those times! My grandmother always was a good steward of her resources , even when she had plenty. To her it was her duty to be careful how you lived, and she showed all her kids and grand kids as well as her neighbors every thing she new. Her neighbors were just like her in the way they lived. No waste and use only what you need and grow or raise your own food.

Answer 6

YOu are correct it's not new..when it gets too hot here we drop a block of ice in the swamp cooler...cheaper than having an a/c running on 220.

Answer 7

I think most of the ideas of yesteryear. Technology is convenient but it's hurt us as much as it's helped us.

Answer 8

make your own candles and light them instead of burning light bulbs and electricity.
when you wash up, only have a few inches of water in the bowl instead of filling it right up; use a drop of washing up liquid too instead of a big 'squirt'.
get a water butt, or several, and use the water for garden/vegetables/washing etc.
run a shallow bath if you must have one instead of a shower. use the water in garden instead of running it down the drain.
make your own charcoal if have access to own woodland, use it in fires rather than coal etc.

i'm sure we can come up with a great deal more between us.

and thumbs up to byederule for his contribution and ideas!