Ice Conditioning

How's this for being cool: Ice is taken from the freezer and put in a special container and enclosed. Then a small fan pushes air past cooling fins which dissipate the coldness into the room.

This is a small version of a new system that's making waves in commercial markets. It's based on the off-peak electrical heating service that most power companies are offering.

After 11PM most power grids are in over-capacity which means that the power plants are producing too much power. This power is sold at as low as 40% of the daytime rate. Off-peak heating systems use this power to heat thermal mass storage units like ceramic brick. The units switch off the grid at 7AM when the price goes back up and heat is released from the bricks and a fan disperses it.

Air conditioners are being worked on the off-peak systems too. At night the compressors freeze quantities of water in storage areas. Then, during the hot day, power-efficient fans blow air through an exchange unit filled with ice. The ice is then made each night from the melted water when electricity is cheaper.

Portable systems, called "Evaporative Cooling," are now on the market