What can you do with old plastic bottles? Not much you’d think, apart from recycle them. Except, you could make a zero electricity air conditioning unit.
The plastic bottle air conditioner, also known as the “poor man’s ac”, is the brain child of Bangledeshi inventor Ashis Paul and it’s already been ‘installed’ in over 25,000 homes in his country — with the help of advertising agency Grey Dhaka and Grameen Intel Social Business.
All you need to build your own Eco-Cooler is a few plastic bottles and a board.
Cut the plastic bottles in half and mount them into a grid through bottleneck-sized holes. Place the grid over a window, with the narrower top end of the bottle facing inwards to the house.
As wind blows through the bottles, cool air is funneled in.
The Eco-Cooler reduces temperatures by up to 41ºF (or 5°C), which is pretty impressive given it costs next to nothing to make.
The project will be put online for free with the hope that it reaches as many people as possible.