DIY Aircon with Plastic Bottles

[Showster]

I wonder if this is real and works. If it does, it will be wonderful for our climate. 

 

A living room standalone aircon plus compressor costs close to 2K already, maybe can give this a try instead.

 

Stay cool.

 

 

http://observers.france24.com/en/20160602-bangladesh-air-conditioner-plastic-bottles-technology

 

This air-conditioning unit is made out of plastic bottles and works without electricity (all photos provided by the GREY group)

BANGLADESH 06/02/2016 How Bangladeshi inventors are making eco-friendly air conditioners from plastic bottles

 

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What can you make with old plastic bottles? A vase? A flowerpot? … an air-conditioning unit? Believe it or not, you can. When inventor Ashis Paul came up with an innovative way to draw cool air into homes using plastic bottles, his whole company got on board to help teach people living in rural Bangledesh to do the same. Since February this year, they’ve helped people to install these units-- which don’t need electricity to function-- in more than 25,000 households in developing areas of the country.

“Most people live in tin huts… in the summer, it’s like being in sauna in the Sahara”

Jaiyyanul Huq

Jaiyyanul Huq is a creative director with the Grey Group, the advertising company that spearheaded this social project.

We are a flood-prone nation, so in rural Bangladesh, most people build their homes out of tin, instead of mud. About 70% of Bangladesh's population lives in these homes. But the problem with these tin huts is that they get unbearably hot in the summer, especially in northern and central Bangladesh. I’ve been in these huts. It’s like being in a sauna in the Sahara. 

One of our creative supervisors, Ashis Paul, started thinking about ways to bring relief to these people. He was turning it over in his mind when one day, he overheard his daughter’s physics tutor explaining to her how gas cools when it expands quickly. Ashis has an "inventor" mentality and he’s always been fascinated by science. So, he started experimenting. 

He told us about his idea of making an air-conditioner out of plastic bottles. The simplicity of the Eco-Cooler is incredible. 

Ashis Paul designed the Eco cooler. 

How to Make an Eco-Cooler 

To make an Eco-Cooler, you cut plastic bottles in half and then mount them on a board. 

Then, you place the board over a window, with the bottlenecks facing towards the inside of the house. 

The change in pressure that occurs when air enters the wider part of the bottle and comes out through the bottleneck cools the air. 

It seems uncanny, but the principle is simple. Blow on your hand with your mouth wide open. The air feels hot, doesn’t it? Now, blow on your hand with your lips pursed. It feels like a cool breeze.

The Eco-Cooler doesn’t require any electricity to function! 

"We finalised it just as the weather was getting hot"

The Eco-Cooler can decrease the temperature by 5°C immediately. When it goes from 30°C to 25°C, I can tell you that it makes a difference. 

The Grey group decided to take it on as a pro-bono project. We like to give back -- it’s core to our company. We decided to make and distribute these units for free. We designed the first prototype in March last year and finally finalised it at the end of February this year. That’s just when the weather starts getting hot in Bangladesh. 

“The streets here are littered with bottles, so the raw materials are easy to find”

To distribute the Eco-Coolers, we teamed up with Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd. because they work in a lot of villages in Bangladesh [Editor’s note: Grameen Intel is social business platform that’s a partnership between NGO Grameen and the company Intel]. We sent our teams out to the villages where Grameen Intel works to teach people how to make our Eco-Coolers. 

The beauty of it all is how easy these units are to make. First of all, the raw materials are easy to find: people don’t recycle here, so the streets are littered with bottles. We show people how to make them and then ask them to both do it on their own and to teach others. We also made a how-to pdf that’s up on our website and includes an easy step-by-step process.

It’s free and people get immediate results!

 

[Vratenza]

Starting a Plastic Bottle Aircon Servicing company nao!

 

$20/unit

 

Package deal $100 standard servicing for 3 units, 2 times a year.

 

*Chemical wash additional $10/unit.

 

*Appointment cancellation charge $50 if less than 3 days from appointment date.

 

[Watwheels]

So innovative.

[Othello]

In Philipines, they have plastic-bottle lights !!! 

 

 

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/28/144385288/in-philippine-slums-capturing-light-in-a-bottle

[Vratenza]

Cool low cost innovation.

 

They call it sun tube/pipe in Ang Moh countries

In Philipines, they have plastic-bottle lights !!! 

 

liter_light_01_wide-c5c0293d0e20ec7d93045dfbb188629d2f3d5be0.jpg

 

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/28/144385288/in-philippine-slums-capturing-light-in-a-bottle

 

[Count-Bracula]

Save my World . . .

[Matrix0405]

What happened when the wind change direction? 

 

 

[Showster]

Maybe 4 windows at 4 walls?

 

The design of Star Vista suddenly came to my mind, even though it required some mechanical ventilation. Maybe this is really feasible if we give the design of buildings and apartments some thoughts...

 

Perhaps we can install solar-powered or electrical fans at the wider end of the water bottle!

 

 

http://www.greenasiaforce.com/the-star-vista-singapore-first-naturally-cooled-mall-a-model-of-mall-building-of-the-future/

 

"The mall is the first naturally cooled mall in Singapore. Instead of having a fully air-conditioned central atrium like many malls in Singapore, The Star Vista boasts an open amphitheatre which is set amidst greeneries.  Shops fronting corridors or walkways are opened toward the central atrium/ amphitheatre thus only shop units needed to be air-conditioned. To ensure thermal comfort of the open areas, mechanical ventilation devices are placed strategically and spaces are arranged as such to allow cross ventilation. To protect the occupied space from elements, shelters and shades are placed accordingly."

 

 

What happened when the wind change direction? 

 

Edited June 7, 2016 by Showster

[Kxbc]

Monsoon windows are great for letting in air. But I only know of 2 buildings in Singapore which have it. One is a tertiary hostel and the other a condo.

 

It might be a cost issue or architects are just lazy using cookie cutter designs for most buildings.

 

Monsoon windows

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2274/2112389335_8d9064f3d2.jpg

[Celicar]

Change façade = get into trouble with HDB/MCST.

[Ender]

What happened when the wind change direction? 

Have them mounted on all 4 sides of the walls. Those plastic bottles are plenty in their country.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Ender

[Mustank]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=SG&v=ehDgXrpRlTU&hl=en-GB

 

solar heater using plastic bottles

[Vratenza]

I wonder if the cut bottles act as funnel during side way rain of the monsoons:

 

 

Have them mounted on all 4 sides of the walls. Those plastic bottles are plenty in their country.

 

[Mustank]

I wonder if the cut bottles act as funnel during side way rain of the monsoons:

 

then that time put on the cap lor  

some other fun stuff

 

 

 

 

[Vratenza]

I wonder what will happen if they forgot to keep the caps?

 

If they use these caps...I think can collect water to wash cloths after each downpour..

then that time put on the cap lor

some other fun stuff

 

 

 

 

 

[Mustank]

I wonder what will happen if they forgot to keep the caps?

 

If they use these caps...I think can collect water to wash cloths after each downpour..

 

also can

good to keep a ready supply around the house

handy when the need arises

[Matrix0405]

I wonder what will happen if they forgot to keep the caps?

 

If they use these caps...I think can collect water to wash cloths after each downpour..

 

 

These are usually recycled and made into chewing gum.

[Solar]

if no wind how... still lppl need to turn the a/c on