Ask Dr. Green: It's a miracle! - or is it?

Q: The other day, I saw an ad for free portable air coolers that use almost no energy! It seems almost too good to be true. What do you think, Dr. Green?

A: If it seems too good to be true, it's either not so good or not so true. In this case, it's a little bit of both.
On Wednesday, August 18, 2010, Fridge Electric LLC ran a full-page advertisement for the MIRA-COOL air cooler in The Philadelphia Inquirer. The advertisement explains that the products are "being called a miracle because they use 95% less electricity than a typical room air conditioner, yet blast out ice cooled air without any windows, vents or Freon." It promises free air cooling units to the first 2,423 readers who call the phone number listed.

Let's look at the ad closely. The promise of "free air cooling units" refers only to your second air cooling unit—the first one costs $298, not including shipping and handling. It's the most expensive "free air cooling unit" I've ever seen.

It's also important to note that the advertisement promises "ice cooled air"—not ice cold air. That is deliberate because the product canot deliver cold air like an air conditioner can. Regular air conditioners work by transporting heat and moisture from inside a room or building to the outside while blowing cooler air in. The MIRA-COOL system consists of a box on wheels in which users place an ice pack from the freezer. A fan then blows over the ice pack, supposedly cooling the room. The "work of engineering genius," as the advertisement calls it, is no more complex than nineteenth century technology that you could inexpensively build yourself—but MIRA-COOL costs $298, not including shipping and handling.

Comparing the MIRA-COOL system to an air conditioner seems inappropriate given that it is just a fan blowing over an ice pack. The MIRA-COOL system more closely resembles a primitive evaporative cooler. Modern evaporative coolers, or swamp coolers, work by using a fan to blow moist air into a room. Well-designed swamp coolers can be beneficial for residents of dry climates, but the sticky Philadelphia summers would only get stickier after using such a device. I certainly wouldn't pay for a fan that made my house more humid, let alone a "free" one that costs $298, not including shipping and handling.

Fridge Electric LLC has pulled a stunt like this before. On May 18, 2009, it paid for an advertisement in The Philadelphia Inquirer that featured "Cool Surge" — "a work of engineering genius from the China coast." The device worked by the same suspect cooling mechanism, and Fridge Electric LLC distributed "free" units to customers who purchased an initial unit for—you guessed it—$298, not including shipping and handling.

With the rise in temperature being outpaced only by the rising cost of energy, it is important to educate yourself as a consumer. We all want to stay comfortable while saving energy and money, but don't be fooled into buying an ice box instead of a refrigerator, or buying a swamp cooler instead of an ENERGY STAR® certified air conditioner.

And, of course, be wary of the "free" MIRA-COOL system—that costs $298, not including shipping and handling.