<![CDATA[Gizmodo: hvac]]> http://tags.gizmodo.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: hvac]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/hvac http://gizmodo.com/tag/hvac <![CDATA[Vent-Miser Freezes Out the Guests On Schedule]]> File these under "new to me" category, but while I'd seen programmable thermostats before, I'd never encountered a vent that opened and closed on a timer.

The battery-powered Vent-Miser features a clock that opens and closes the vents at programmable intervals, completely independent of your thermostat's settings. So if your A/C doesn't need to keep your guest room cool on weekdays or if you only need to heat your bedroom at night, the Vent-Miser can automate this process for you, possibly saving you a few bucks in the process.

At about $25 a pop, the vents definitely lean towards investment rather than instant payoff, but they're a neat idea if you live in a house with crummy HVAC. [Amazon via OhGizmo!]

]]> http://gizmodo.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5119647&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Honda Stays Cool, Old Skool]]> Everybody's trying to stay cool this summer, and Honda is resorting to old-school low-tech for its Ohio plant, cooling it with good old-fashioned ice. During off-hours, at night when power is cheaper, they're using two 450-ton chillers to make huge blocks of ice, and then they're using them to cool off the air all day as the ice melts.

Sounds like a great way to store coolness at the lowest cost, and the company says the system will pay for itself in savings over three years. The greenies like it too, because it doesn't use any environmentally unfriendly gases such as freon. Everybody wins. – Charlie White

Honda Cools Off with Ice [treehugger]

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