Run Your AC on Snow

Browsing HowStuffWorks, we found some tips on how to put those winter snow storms to good use—and cool your house for free in the summer. We don’t know how practical this is…but an interesting concept. What do you need? A big insulated container with coiled tubes on the bottom, and a chilled water circuit running from the container to a radiator inside the air conditioner. Then, a pump to send the water around the chilled water loop. Oh yeah, and 409,500,000 grams of ice (902,000 pounds). (These figures apply to a 5-ton air conditioner, running for 12 hours a day, three months out of the year. ) The fine print here is that the big insulated container should be roughly the size of your house...Founded by North Carolina State University Professor Marshall Brain, this site has tons of other “explanations of how the world actually works.” Thanks tipster Mike. ::HowStuffWorks