Absorption minibars
No compressor, no fan, no moving parts at all. Cooling comes from a thermal circuit of ammonia, water and helium. It is the mechanically simplest technology — and the most expensive to run.
How it works
A heating element warms the ammonia solution; the vapour circulates through a closed circuit and absorbs heat from the inside. Nothing spins, nothing vibrates. In exchange, the circuit runs continuously, not in cycles — which is where the consumption comes from. Absorption cools relative to room temperature, not to a fixed value: in a 22°C room it performs well, in a 30°C one, less so. That is not a flaw, it is the principle.
Consumption — the part nobody talks about
Between 0.575 and 1.211 kWh per 24h: four to six times a compressor minibar of the same capacity. Energy class is G. Annualised, 210–442 kWh per room. Across 100 rooms, 21,000–44,000 kWh per year.
On noise, honestly
Absorption has been sold for decades as "the quiet technology". Current Indel B technical sheets publish no noise value for these models. We cannot claim a figure the manufacturer does not give. What we can say is that it has no moving parts. If documented silence is the criterion, thermoelectric models are the ones that state it explicitly.
When you choose it
- When you want a unit with no moving parts and very little upkeep
- Consistently air-conditioned rooms, where ambient temperature does not rise
- Moderate occupancy, with infrequent door openings
When not
- When energy consumption matters — and at hotel scale, it does
- In hot climates or rooms without permanent AC
- At high occupancy, with the door opened often
Absorption, the traditional water-ammonia refrigeration technology, has been fully phased out by Indel B for the European market and replaced with lower-impact refrigerant gas; it remains available only for non-EU markets (the Iceberg and Drink Plus models).
The three technologies, side by side
| Compressor | Thermoelectric | Absorption | |
| Consumption (kWh/24h) | 0,134–0,216 | 0,263–0,647 | 0,575–1,211 |
| Energy class | C–E | F–G | G |
| Noise | 33–38 dB | completely silent | unpublished |
| Net volume | 15–43 L | 19–38 L | 16–43 L |
| Wall / countertop mount | yes | no | no |
Values come from Indel B technical sheets for the 40 models in the Concept Hotels catalogue.