Assistance with design project: Spring-loaded refrigerator.

[Mr.Freeze]

I'm working on a design project for my course, and could really use a little assistance, if any of you would be so kind. The project is about energy savings, and my design is for a fridge which has two large compression springs at the bottom with a plate on top of them. The fridge only holds cans of soda such as coca cola. As cans are taken from the top of the fridge, the spring plate moves upwards. This means that while there may be as many as 11 layers of cans, only the top layers are being cooled.

My question is: How could I possibly work out what energy would be saved? Obviously a normal retail fridge and my unit would have to spend the same amount of energy in cooling the cans in the first place, but my unit will spend less time maintaining the low temperature. Is it possible to make a simple calculation as to the refrigeration costs of maintaining the cold temperature of a certain mass or volume?

I thank you in advance.

[install monkey]

by 2 of these
http://www.ecofreak.co.uk/products/0/150/Efergy-Elite---Smart-Wireless-Energy-Meter.html
and maybe 4 springs for your moveable plate- as 2 would be unstable.
maybe fit an endocube on 1 too see if it saves u putting a moveable plate in-apparently can save upto 30% on ur energy bills- also unscrew the 15watt pygmy lamp.:D

[aramis]

You wouldn’t be saving much, only the losses of the area between the plate and the bottom minus the infiltration you could have from under the plate to the cooled area.

As for the equations:

8949