ShareLinear compressor key to fridge efficiency?
The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Whirlpool are collaborating to design a domestic refrigerator that could cut energy use by up to 40% compared with current models.
The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Whirlpool are collaborating to design a domestic refrigerator that could cut energy use by up to 40% compared with current models.
The team will redesign a refrigerator to incorporate a linear compressor manufactured by Embraco, which reduces energy losses by continuously matching the compressor pumping rate to the refrigerator’s cooling requirements. Associated components will provide additional efficiency gains.
In the 1970s, the average refrigerator used approximately 4 to 5 kWh per day; today’s models average about 1.5 kWh per day; ORNL and Whirlpool are attempting to build a refrigerator that consumes less than 1 kWh per day.
Together, these features could cut refrigerator energy use by approximately 40%, which would translate into an estimated USD 26 savings per year on the average consumer’s electricity bill.
The team will redesign a refrigerator to incorporate a linear compressor manufactured by Embraco, which reduces energy losses by continuously matching the compressor pumping rate to the refrigerator’s cooling requirements. Associated components will provide additional efficiency gains.
In the 1970s, the average refrigerator used approximately 4 to 5 kWh per day; today’s models average about 1.5 kWh per day; ORNL and Whirlpool are attempting to build a refrigerator that consumes less than 1 kWh per day.
Together, these features could cut refrigerator energy use by approximately 40%, which would translate into an estimated USD 26 savings per year on the average consumer’s electricity bill.