Miscellaneous Questions about Cool Food Storage
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Q: I am about to remodel my kitchen (in a temperate to subtropical climate ... Auckland, New Zealand). Could you advise which factors I should build into the kitchen for maximum energy efficiency? I have read to put a vent in the floor under the refrigerator to vent cool air from basement below over the cooling surfaces and so reduce their workload.

A: The idea of venting basement air to help cool your fridge sounds like a reasonable idea, although I have no experience or knowledge of this having been done before. Cold air usually sinks, so I don't know how available it would be to help the cooling, unless it is forced upward with a fan, and then there would need to be somewhere else to allow that air to be replaced. Maybe a tube that was dug several feet into the ground so that it helped cool the incoming air would help. Otherwise I would suggest that you choose the most energy efficient and durable appliances available, and not use electricity to heat things much (i.e. not plan on using the heated dry cycle of a dish washer.)

Q: These #10 cans of freeze dried foods...can one dig a small cellar, say 3x3x3 feet, and put the cans in there, then lay treated lumber over the hole, then cover back up with 12" of dirt and grass...and expect the cans to remain cool and dry? (the longer they stay cool and dry, the better) I suspect the cool will be ok, but am concerned about the humidity...or would it matter, since they are vacuum sealed?

A: I would suggest that you go down even deeper than 3 feet...maybe 5 or 6 (depending on your location) with more soil or insulation on top of the hole to get a more stable temperature. Then if you place the cans in several plastic bags that are tied tightly, the humidity shouldn't get to them and tend to rust the cans.

Q: I'm wanting to store canned foods. I've starting digging into the side of a bank behind my house and I need some instructions. I'm only looking to store no more than 2 dozens jars in it. What materials would be best to use...treated lumber, bricks, etc.? And will it need to be vented?

A: You don't really need much space to store a couple dozen jars, so it doesn't need to be very big. One approach I have heard of is to bury a large garbage can (plastic would not rust) deep enough to be sure that it is below your frost level. Depending on how often you expect to need to get into this stash, you can devise various ways of covering it with enough insulation to assure that it will not freeze. This approach does not require direct venting.