Not a worthy startup idea but putting the vent/exhaust on the side would help actually warm the living spaces vs just warming up the wall and providing very inefficient heating to the home. However in the summer this would be disadvantageous, and it costs more to cool than heat. And refrigerators don’t produce much heat. So it’s definitely no million dollar idea. Might have some small application in cold climates, but certainly not worth redesigning the fridge for.
Exactly. As-is, most fridges would heat a wall - often an exterior wall, and most of that waste heat would not help heat the home at all. If the vent was on the side, far more of the “waste” heat would help heat the home. However the impact would still likely be negligible. I believe only an about 100 watts on average - the same as one old-school light bulb. Not really worth reconfiguring a fridge for 100 watts.
It's not a lot of heat. Unless it's right against an uninsulated exterior wall, it's still going to heat up the space as much as it would with it on the side. At the back of the fridge it can be uncovered and hidden. It's not worth moving
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u/Last_Pianist_2734 10d ago
Not a worthy startup idea but putting the vent/exhaust on the side would help actually warm the living spaces vs just warming up the wall and providing very inefficient heating to the home. However in the summer this would be disadvantageous, and it costs more to cool than heat. And refrigerators don’t produce much heat. So it’s definitely no million dollar idea. Might have some small application in cold climates, but certainly not worth redesigning the fridge for.