Self-cooling canopy bed for tropical hotels

In tropical climates, roughly 80 percent of the energy used in an average hotel room is for air conditioning. Aiming to provide a more sustainable alternative, the Evening Breeze bed is a canopy bed with built-in air conditioner that uses only a fraction of that energy. In the Evening Breeze bed, air is filtered and cooled to a set temperature and humidity level and then gently directed over the sleeper via an upholstered canopy ceiling. A built-in mosquito net protects the sleeper from uninvited visitors while also helping to contain the cooled air, meaning that no airtight insulation is necessary—rather, the room can be left to its natural state, with windows open for fresh air. The eco-minded bed is crafted from FSC-approved wood, and it uses only environmentally friendly R410A coolant. Perhaps best of all, however, is that whereas conventional air conditioners use between 1,200 and 2,000 Watts, the average energy use for the Evening Breeze bed is only 400 Watts, creating a reduction in energy use of 60 percent per room. That, in turn, results in a potential yearly savings of 4 MWh, equivalent to USD 1,000 or 2.5 tons of CO2 pollution, the bed’s maker says. Earlier this year the Evening Breeze bed was awarded Honourable Mention in the Design and Build category of the 2008 Green Dot Awards. Priced at EUR 1,800, each Evening Breeze system sold gets combined with a locally made mattress and box spring when it arrives at its destination. Five resorts in the Caribbean and South Africa are now equipped with the beds, and Mozambique’s Coral Lodge—due to open in September—will be the first to use them hotelwide. Dutch Evening Breeze is currently developing its sales and service network in the Caribbean and Africa; one to get in on early? (Related: Eco-mattress in a box — Buy the bed you just slept in.) Spotted by: Robin Benjamin