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The refrigerator is one of the largest energy users in the household. The refrigerator can account
for as much as 15 – 20% of your home’s total energy usage. If your refrigerator is more than
15 years old, you’ll save on your electric bills if you replace it with a more efficient
unit. Although a highly efficient model can cost higher than a more inefficient model, it may
be a better buy in the long run.
Refrigerators & energy use
Most of the energy used by a refrigerator is used to pump heat out of the cabinet. A small amount
is used to keep the cabinet from sweating, to defrost it, and to light the interior. The new
energy efficient refrigerators have better insulation and seals, more efficient compressors,
and more precise controls.
Refrigerators run approximately a third of the time and cycle on and off at a rate that depends
on cabinet insulation, the room temperature, maintenance, and how energy-wise you are in
operating your refrigerator.
The defrost method and energy efficiency
Refrigerators are either manually defrosted, partially automatically defrosted whereby the freezer
requires manual defrosting, or are automatically defrosted. Automatically defrosted models
require about twice the electricity of manual-defrost models, but energy savings is lost if ice
builds up by more than ¼ inch. If you’re not into defrosting, choose a model with automatic defrost.
The door & peso bill tests
Look for heavy door hinges that create a good door seal. Heat leaks into your refrigerator through
the seals. Test them by closing the doors on a peso bill. The seal should be tight, so that the
peso bill is hard to pull out. Test in several places around the doors. New seals are not
inexpensive, so you may need to shop for one if your seals are bad.
Ice cube trays, or ice maker and water dispenser
An ice maker and through-the-door dispenser will increase your refrigerator’s energy use
by 14 – 20% and will increase the initial cost.
Energy efficiency tips
Location : Move the refrigerator if it is located near the stove or dishwasher,
or in sunlight.
Leave at least a couple of inches for air to circulate.
Care and Cleaning : Vacuum or brush off the condenser coils once a year. Unplug it first!
Clean the door seals. Use the peso bill test to make sure there are no leaks.
Regularly defrost refrigerators that have more than ¼ inch of ice in the freezer.
Routine Use : Cover liquids and wrap foods you are storing. Don’t use paper wrapping.
Let food cool before putting in the fridge.
Defrost food in the fridge instead of the microwave to help cool your fridge.
Open the fridge as infrequently and briefly as possible. Make sure the door really closes.
If the fridge is almost empty, put in a few bottles of water to help store the cold.
Conversely, avoid overloading your fridge. Internal air circulation is important.
Turn off your spare fridge when you aren’t using it. Store it with child safety in mind.
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