By Lauren Carfagno, Source: Ecosalon

Air conditioners and central air systems are energy wasting mechanisms that come with a high price tag each month during the summer season. Thankfully, there is an interesting alternative to cool your house naturally: the Cold Pot, a low-tech device that takes the simple occurrence of evaporation and makes it that much more significant.

Clay, a natural substance so menial to most, probably never thought of much, actually has some cool tricks up its sleeve. It’s been around long before the dinosaurs were roaming freely about and embodies an abundance of common (and uncommon) uses. From beauty remedies and products to external and internal medicinal treatments down to pet litter, clay plays an exceptional and health conscious role. Now, in a most unusual portrayal, clay is actually wonderfully useful in altering the warm temps in your home.

How exactly can clay cool your house naturally you ask? French-born designer, Thibault Faverie, has given us the answer with his terracotta Cold Pot invention that utilizes the organic process of evaporation to our benefit. Clay is extremely absorbent so that was the obvious main component used in the design. Cold Pot resembles what most would compare to a flowerpot. It does indeed appear that way, very sleek, simple, and compact in size and shape. But inside is where the magic happens.

Behind the clay exterior lays aluminum cooling slices, connectors, an aluminum pipe, and a fan. The outer pot converts heat through a wide opening at the bottom of the pot while absorbing the water on the inside as the fan propels, releasing it up through the cooling slices and pipe to the outer surface. Once water and air meet, evaporation occurs and a cooler temperature is dispensed. The contraption is so low maintenance it only requires 2 liters of water!

Read more at: Ecosalon