Refrigeration and freezing of foodstuffs make a high demand on electrical current. Approximately 4.4GJ of energy consumption in the average home is devoted to this task.
Our solution to this problem depends upon the season. During the hottest part of the year we will keep frozen foods in a small propane chest freezer. Other perishables will be kept either in the root cellar or in an 120 VAC super-efficient Sunfrost refrigerator in the kitchen. We will also operate a small chest-type cooler built into the kitchen counter, powered by a small efficient compressor, in which we will store the most commonly accessed foodstuffs (milk, butter, juice, some cheese and luncheon meats and eggs). A chest design with a horizontal lid keeps the cool air in the cooler, and for an appliance that is going to be accessed often, such a design makes the most sense.
In the colder parts of the year (outside maximum temperatures 10oC or less), we will unplug the SunFrost and use an insulated cool closet situated in the east porch. Outside air flow will keep the food cool. Similarly the built-in chest fridge in the counter, will operate as a cool closet. During the freezing months, frozen food will also be placed in a portion of the cool closet.
In the southeast corner of the basement we have constructed a root cellar. As we insulated the exterior of the foundation we deliberately did not place any insulation on the southerly-most ten feet of the east foundation nor on the easterly-most ten feet of the south foundation wall. Inside stud walls that surround this space to form a room are fully insulated, and we expect to see consistent 12 to 15oC temperatures in this area during even the hottest part of the summer.