Easy physics question

[VORP]

I saw an energy saver tip the other day that said you should fill empty space in your freezer with water bottles because it would save energy. This seems counterintuitive to me; wouldn’t a lesser mass of stuff in the freezer take less energy to keep frozen?

[Max Raker]

Maybe so when you put other stuff in the freezer it touches the other frozen things and gets cooler faster than if it was surrounded by air?

[szw]

When you open the door you are letting heat in and using more energy. Having frozen water bottles everywhere lowers that a bit I think.

[Tony_P]

if there is empty space, your freezer is cooling the air that fills it. When you open the freezer door, the cool air escapes and gets replaced with room tempurature air, which the freezer must now cool. If there is less air, there is less wasted energy

[VORP]

[ QUOTE ]
if there is empty space, your freezer is cooling the air that fills it. When you open the freezer door, the cool air escapes and gets replaced with room tempurature air, which the freezer must now cool. If there is less air, there is less wasted energy

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, that makes sense. Now what if the door never opens. Does it take more energy to maintain the temperature of extra air or extra water bottles.

[youtalkfunny]

Before electricity, people had iceboxes. Like a fridge, only instead of an electric motor cooling things, it was a big block of ice.

Put several big blocks of ice in your freezer (in a plastic container, to prevent runoff of any melting), and the motor has less work to do. Put enough big blocks of ice in there, and you don't need a motor. Your freezer will resemble a picnic cooler.

[Mano]

Unless the freezer has a perfect seal (which it does not) air escapes in and out of freezer. The frozen water in the bottles will not.

[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
if there is empty space, your freezer is cooling the air that fills it. When you open the freezer door, the cool air escapes and gets replaced with room tempurature air, which the freezer must now cool. If there is less air, there is less wasted energy

[/ QUOTE ]

Ok, that makes sense. Now what if the door never opens. Does it take more energy to maintain the temperature of extra air or extra water bottles.

[/ QUOTE ]
The water is still better than air even if the door stays shut.

[milliondollaz]

[ QUOTE ]

The water is still better than air even if the door stays shut.

[/ QUOTE ]

even w/ no leaks?

explain plz;thx

[bblock99]

Specific heat.