most popular:
VW's 282 MPG Car



most popular:
Vertical Gardening


th comments
Alex M. Pruteanu said: "I saw this on the heels of reading about Nissan introducing an all electric car to the States by 2010-2012. As noted in a comment above me, I vivi..." [read]

ben said: ""teach your cat some discipline!" Bahahaha! Have you ever even met a cat?..." [read]

Paul Eckerson said: " Having a degree in chemistry and working in the feild my entire career, I know that the laws of thermodynamics tell me using electricit..." [read]

Bobbiker said: "If there were no bike boxes or bike lanes or separate bike paths, and cyclists simply shared the roads with cars as I have done for 35 years with c..." [read]

momentofchoice said: "Is it possible that the concept of electric and other alternative fuel cars will actually stick this time? It's up to consumers to demand it or ris..." [read]

Cool ZZZZZ's: The Air Conditioned Bed

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.07
Science & Technology

air%20conditioned%20bedsmall.jpg

Always on the lookout for cool things, Treehugger offers this alternative to air conditioning your bedroom: Kuchofuku' air conditioned bed. Using extremely quiet dual-fans at the foot of the bed, cool air is pulled in from behind your head and circulated through the soft membrane which also acts as an air-cushion to support you. It is "extremely ecological"- using less than $ 0.24 worth of power per month.

kuchofuku-air-conditioned-shirt.jpg

Those who toil in offices without air conditioning might consider their clothing as well. Kuchofuku has a wide range of products including jackets, pants, white shirts (for both men and women), and workshirts with dual fans that create constant air flow. ::Cscout via ::Splurch

Comments (23)

here's a great example of why there's a growing split in the environmental community between consumerism and limiting consumption!

jump to top JS says:

Ok, the shirts are kind of silly, but I'd be interested to hear of any study comparing the effect of the cooled mattress vs cooling the room. if it lets someone sleep in weather 10 degrees hotter without fans or airconditioning, it might make sense.

jump to top Griffin says:

Right On, JS!

jump to top David in Bali says:

JS-- I couldn't phrase it better myself. I am constantly reminding myself of how new-found technology will only create more problems, how we need to revert back to simpler ways, and then I see this. A modern, environmentally-friendly convenience. All in all, I say it is a great alternative, and I think that picking your ecological battles is something to keep in mind. At the very least, it is certainly the lesser of two evils!

jump to top Rachel says:

I like that. We really have serious conditioning problem at work, and big fight at bed time with wife over cool degree

jump to top Bashar says:

Where can you buy this bed. Great stuff.

This is kinda cool actually, it'd be great for days where your outside in the hot weather

jump to top tim says:

Is the air actually cooled at any point? If the fans are just pulling the air through the mattress, then they can't be cooling it.

jump to top Matt says:

"new-found technology will only create more problems, how we need to revert back to simpler ways"

Right, because we need to go back to simpler times like burning coal in each and every home for heat, gathering wood for wood-burning stoves, dumping our sewage in the street, and using 100-watt incandescent bulbs. Sounds like a recipe for environmental disaster to me.

Technology has allowed us to drastically increase the efficiency of the devices we use. Without the "problems" of new-found technology we would we burning far more coal for electricity than we do now. Please think about your opinions before adopting them. K thnx.

jump to top Jerry says:

I'll continue to use my air conditioning, because I really doubt this thing will work. It really looks ineffective at doing anything except selling a product that makes some people feel better about the environment. Ya, whatever.

jump to top Heywood Jablohmy says:

How do you ensure cool air is pulled in? If you're in a hot room, hot air will be pulled in. It's not really an air conditioner...

jump to top Kevin says:

"Heywood" is correct - How would this cool you? If there's hot air in your room all it does is pull hot air down your body. You'd need some kind of an air-cooler at the head, and if that's the case eventually you're just cooling the room as the cool air vents down the bottom. I think something with embedded lines with cooled water is probably a better solution.

jump to top Geoff says:

Imagine the news if someone invented a ceiling fan.

jump to top Impeach Cheney says:

Idjits.
Moving air cools by transporting heat. The mattress under your body is about 98.6 deg. F. Even if the air is warmer than that at the inlet, the reduced pressure will cool it. The moving air passing your butt takes the heat away.

For even more effectiveness, put a block of ice by the inlet.

jump to top dar7yl says:

I think this is going in the right direction. It makes sense to reduce the amount of energy used for things that often people do not want to live without. Why should we air condition a whole house when really we just need the air around ourselves to be cooled? I personally don't use ac, I think it's rather unnecessary. But this kind of thinking will allow people who do to reduce energy/resource use.

jump to top Angela says:

Sleep in the basement - it's free.

Yeah, its not real A/C, BUT--
Here in Florida, There are often nights where the top half of your body (away from the mattress) is comfortable, while the part that touches the mattress is uncomfortably hot and sweaty. The mattress acts as an insulator, keeping your body heat trapped against you, same as a blanket. One solution is to crank the A/C down to 72 F. Of course, then you need a heavy blanket on top, to
keep the non-mattress side of your body from getting cold.

Simply keeping the mattress at ambient temperature is a great advance, IMO.

jump to top Doug says:

as someone who is currently having trouble breathing because of the pollen coming inside (and this is even with medication), a HEPA air filter and AC is sometimes the only way I can make it through the summer. As much as I love sleeping with an open window, I can only do that fall through early spring

jump to top countrymouse says:

If this can be adapted for the motor car seats, especially for the tropics, it will be a number one seller. as you may know, even airconditioned cars do little for the sweaty backs.

jump to top am says:

I agree with Doug about the mattress being uncomfortably hot and sweaty. I have trouble sleeping when I'm too warm. I don't want to crank the a/c to the preferred temperature because it would use too much energy and cost too much.

If this product works, then this could be a possible solution. I say bravo to inventions that meet a need and try to minimize energy usage.

jump to top Keiko says:

Jerry,

Unfortunately you misunderstood my post, and ran wild with assumptions. Modern luxuries, like a certain gas-guzzling vehicle, or blasting the air-conditioning on a luke-warm day, fall beneath a different category than "dumping our sewage in the street." Once again, the dilemma, as JS put it wonderfully, is consumerism versus limiting consumption.

Apparently you also misread my ideas concerning the 'lesser of two evils,' or the fact that these issues can be very complex. I completely agree with you, but to a certain extent. Perhaps you should re-read posts, or inquire for further details, before you post an uninformed rebuttal. "K thnx."


jump to top Rachel says:

I bought one and used it last night. It really works. I think the electricity saved will pay for it in about one summer. And, its much quieter than my air conditioner.

It doesn't come with English instructions, but it was still pretty easy to figure out. I just put my sheet and blanket right over it. The thin stuff we use in summer doesn't seem to imped the air flow,

jump to top Dwight says:

well!
sleeping on such a this deb would be somthing dreamable .

jump to top daylamian says:

Post a comment

(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)

th ads
th top picks
th ads