iMatt

This is the same one posted by yo_paully above. It was actually discussed on Slashdot last night...700+ posts later, it seems the consensus is that it's resourceful but not at all efficient or environmentally friendly.

CN

Good call on the salt, iMatt. Adding salt to the water will make it freeze at a lower temperature. Since the temperature gradient between the ice and air would therefore be larger, more efficient exchange of thermal energy could therefore occur. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the extra energy (and heat) used by the freezer during the extra freezing time would negate this.

iMatt

Now that the heatwave is on hiatus here in Montreal, I'm thinking a little more clearly (maybe!)...and it occurs to me that while it's not scorching it would be worthwhile to freeze some bottles of salted water for use when it gets hot again. That should help mitigate the problem of overworking the freezer and further overheating the kitchen in the midst of a heatwave. (The effect of a hardworking fridge is quite obvious: the heat broke early this morning and parts of the apartment cooled off almost immediately, but the kitchen took all day.)