Refrigerators are responsible for a big portion of home energy use. In most homes, refrigerators are the second largest user of energy after air conditioners. With most of appliances, you can save energy by using them less, but the same is not the case with a refrigerator.
But if you thought your extra wide side-by-side refrigerator was a timeless investment, you might be mistaken. A Dutch design company, Weltevree, is taking advantage of the Earth’s temperature to store and keep the food fresh.
Image courtesy http://www.weltevree.nl/
They have developed an electricity-free groundfridge that is a small prefabricated root cellar. Groundfridge is placed in the ground and covered with earth. The three feet of dirt covering the groundfridge works as insulation to keep the temperature in the fridge between 50 to 54° F throughout the year. This temperature is ideal to store fruits, vegetables, and other perishable food items.
