Somewhere between a camping cooler and a mobile mini-fridge, the idea is simple: break your standard refrigeration unit down into small modules that can be turned on or off as needed – and work as more efficient coolers-to-go as well.

How much of the time do you truly need to refrigerate and entire full-sized refrigerator filled with food? Space usage inside a typical fridge fluctuates depending upon what day of the week or month it is, whether you are having guests over and other factors.

Each time you open the fridge, a little more power is needed to make up for the cold air lost. This concept by Stefan Ulrich counters that effect, and further saves energy if placed on its side so the cold is kept in naturally (heat rises).

However, one drawback: by separating the cooling spaces out into different modules, each fridge is less able to rely on the adjacent units to keep cool – further testing is likely needed to see just how sustainable and energy-saving this design really is.