Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

The recent thread on icebox design got me going again on the topic of ice. More precisely, how much does it cost to make ice. There have been reports that people are making it for "free" in their freezers at home. Unfortunately the laws of thermodynamics state there is no "free lunch" (or ice for that matter) and in fact you don't ever get quite what you pay for!

Anyway I thought I'd figure out how much "free ice" really costs.

Here are the numbers:

To make ten pounds of ice you have to remove about this much heat:

70f to 32f water = 38f * 1btu/pound * 10# = 380 BTU

10# water to 10# ice = 144btu/# * 10# = 1440 btu

380 btu + 1440 btu = 1820 btu

1880btu = 0.533 Kilowatt Hours (http://www.mhi-inc.com/Converter/watt_calculator.htm)

Typical cost of electricity = $0.15/kilowatt hour (http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/cost.html)

If you were making heat with an electric resistance heater you would get one watt of heat out for one watt of electricity. Making cold is a bit different. You are moving heat not making it. Soooo, for every watt of electricity you can typically move three watts of heat. So, to make 10# of ice it would take about .3333 * 0.533 Kilowatt Hours = 0.178 Kilowatt Hours of electricity or 0.178 KWH * $0.15/KWH = $0.0265 for ten pounds of ice. In short about two cents!!!!!!

There you have it. My two cents on “free iceâ€

Bored today Gus??

Bored? NEVER!!!!! Bordom is a state of mind! However, my neuralgias (5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 11th cranial nerves, bilaterally, type II as in continuous pain, Google Suicide Disease) caught up with me after a GREAT three week run!!!!!!!!!! Down for the count, taking opiates (again) and can't bear to watch TV! Reading a good book, reflecting, and laying low.

Cheers,

Gus

Peak Ontario electricity rates are 7.4 cents/kw/h, so it only costs 1 cent there.

legojenn wrote:Peak Ontario electricity rates are 7.4 cents/kw/h, so it only costs 1 cent there.

Couldn't resist putting in your one cent could you?

Cheers,

Gus

eamarquardt wrote:

legojenn wrote:Peak Ontario electricity rates are 7.4 cents/kw/h, so it only costs 1 cent there.

Couldn't resist putting in your one cent could you?

Cheers,

Gus

Nope, but I did resist recalculating using metric measure and simplifying it all.

Great calculation, but you forgot to include the cost of water and the amortized capital costs related to the refrigeration equipment and ice trays.

tonyj wrote:Great calculation, but you forgot to include the cost of water and the amortized capital costs related to the refrigeration equipment and ice trays.

Are you trying to start a "bun fight" or does it only seem that way?

Picky, picky, picky!!!

Where does one buy "ice trays" to make a ten pound block of ice? I was surprized at how inexpensive making your own ice is as compared to buying ice. I'm thinking of starting an "ice company" as the profits seem obscene!!!!!!!

Any orders? Free delivery FOB Ventura County, Ca. $0.50/mile outside the county (up to 2000#, call for quote for larger orders). Weight of ice guaranteed at shipment (actually I'll throw in extra just to be safe). Actual weight of delivered ice may vary (down to and including zero ice) depending of delivery location and weather conditions.


Cheers,

Gus