The Hindu : New Delhi News : Beating the heat with a home-made AC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 26, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

New Delhi

New Delhi

Beating the heat with a home-made AC

Kunal Diwan

It’s simple: A guide to make ‘Snowbreeze’ at home, by inventor M.B. Lal.

NEW DELHI: In an age where open-source technologies such as Wikipedia and Linux are re-defining the world, seasoned journalist M. B. Lal has come up with a simple non-patented invention that aims at helping people keep cool during the sizzling hot summers – and all at a fraction of the cost required to run conventional air-conditioners and air-coolers.

All that is needed for the functioning of the ice-based “Snowbreeze” is a 23-Watt fan that consumes less energy than the regular light bulb.

How to make

A movable device, “Snowbreeze” can be assembled from scratch at home with the following easily available components -- a container bucket, a few strips of plywood, an ice drum, a roll of aluminium foil and, obviously, loads of ice. At the heart of the machine resides a powerful 23-Watt fan that propels cool air while wheels at the base ensure that the device can be moved around without too much trouble.This is what the veteran Mr. Lal, the brain behind “Snowbreeze”, has to say: “Power shortages, outages and the resulting pollution are being widely discussed these days. This new invention has the potential of cutting down energy consumption by air-conditioning and room heating by at least half. It also ensures uninterrupted service during power breakdowns, no pollution and pre-humidified hot air during the winters.”

Man behind the machine

According to Mr. Lal, who retired from The Statesman, New Delhi, after a long, eventful innings as a journalist, the proposed new gadget may prove to be of unimaginable service in our power-starved rural areas. “It can be rigged up by two carpenters within two days and I have not patented it so others are free to modify it further as per their requirement,” he adds.

Multipurpose

Not a device to hibernate during the winters, “Snowbreeze” can also double up as a room heater with the minor addition of a 500-Watt quartz halogen bulb that is suspended in the upper part of the aluminium drum.

A point to note is that “Snowbreeze” is not just an air-cooler but an air-conditioner that de-humidifies air like any conventional air-conditioner. The overall cost of operating it may not be significantly more than the running costs of a desert cooler.

To make things simpler, Mr. Lal has come out with a do-it-yourself book on the subject.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi