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Is it time to retire your fridge?
Refrigerators are among the biggest energy-users in American homes. You might want to take a look at yours and decide if you should retire it in favor of a new, more efficient model. An old inefficient model can cost you more than $100 more per year to operate than a new one and puts more waste heat into your home, too, putting an extra strain on air conditioning. The good news is that the most efficient standard refrigerators are less expensive. The bad news is that many of the features consumers want, such as automatic icemakers and on-door ice and water dispensers, make refrigerators less efficient. You have to consider your family's needs to make the best choice. Some points to consider if you're refrigerator shopping:
- Side-by-side refrigerator/freezers use more energy than top-freezer models.
- It costs much less to buy and operate one large refrigerator than two small ones.
- Piling things on top of the refrigerator can affect air circulation. Keep it clear.
- Check the interior temperatures of your fridge and freezer with a separate thermometer. For maximum food safety and energy efficiency, the refrigerator should stay around 35-40 F, the freezer from 0-5 F.
- Clean the condenser coils once a year to help the fridge run efficiently. Mount your refrigerator on a wheeled platform or slides to make access to the coils in the back simpler.
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