The ACERU
ACERU: Air Conditioner Energy Recovery Unit
During use of an air conditioner, it is common for an air conditioning unit to expel moving air. Generally, this moving air dissipates into the ambient air surrounding the air conditioner and any potential energy associated with the moving air is lost. The dissipation of the moving air is a lost opportunity to recover energy and improve energy conservation efforts. Every time the AC unit turns on - the ACERU creates energy out of the wasted wind energy from the AC unit.
ACERU Design
The ACERU is scalable to any size air conditioner and can be up-sized to be adapted to industrial applications (ie: Cooling Tower fans or exhaust fans) and can be installed in any position. It requires no modifications to the AC/HVAC units and creates energy out of the air blowing out of the AC units. The ACERU can be constructed out of almost any material - the pyramid shape is self-supporting (the R&D models were built with cardboard) even with the weight of the fans installed. The internal inverted pyramid also provides support and directs air flow through the fans. Smaller air conditioners and HVAC units can make use of the 3 sided pyramid design to maximize energy return.
ACERU Cost Recovery
The average cost to operate a central home air conditioner in the US is approx. $1686 per year (12 hours a day/3500 watts/$0.11 per/kWh) and can be up to 70% of the home's electricity bill. In warmer states homes can have up to 4 (or more) central AC units on them - this would equal a yearly cost of $6744/year or $562/month. Every time an AC unit runs the ACERU can recapture some of the energy costs by utilizing the wasted wind energy expelled by the cooling fan.