Air conditioning is essential to modern life; it also gobbles energy. Now an international engineering team has cut AC’s energy use in half by making your body part of the cooling process.
It’s a basic principle of science that heat travels toward cold. So the researchers made a panel lined with tubes of chilled water and covered the panel with an airtight polymer membrane that rejects moisture to eliminate condensation but that allows heat to penetrate.
In tests, the “Cold Tube” panels drew radiating heat away from people standing beside or under them, like a paper towel wicks water. The people reported feeling “comfortable” or “cool” even though the ambient temperature was around 85°F.
The new method also cools folks without needing to dehumidify the surrounding air, an energy-sucking chief task of conventional air conditioners.
TRENDPOST: The developers see their invention as being used in cooling stations at sporting events, fairs, and other summer outdoor events. But eventually it could be built into the walls and ceilings of homes and offices.
