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Why Buy An Energy
Efficient Refrigerator?
Your refrigerator uses the most
electricity of all your kitchen appliances. It can account for as much as 15
percent of a home's total energy usage. A typical refrigerator costs about
$1,140 to operate over its lifetime. And the older the model, the more
electricity it's using. If your present refrigerator is more than 15 years old,
you'll save money on your electric bills if you replace it with a new, more
efficient unit. New models can be as much as 50 percent more energy efficient
than older refrigerators.
Refrigerators made to meet the latest DOE
standards (which will take effect in 2001) will cut consumers' energy costs by
30 percent compared to the previous (1993) standards. And a family replacing a
1972-vintage model with a product that meets the new standard will see their
utility bills drop by over $120 a year. There are super-efficient refrigerators
currently on the market that save even more. If every household in the United
States had the most efficient refrigerators available, the electricity savings
would eliminate the need for more than 20 large power plants.
About Refrigerator Efficiency
Federal efficiency standards took effect
in 1993, requiring new refrigerators to be more efficient than ever before.
The energy efficiency of refrigerators has improved dramatically over the past
two decades, partially as a result of these new standards. The efficiency of a
refrigerator is based on the energy consumed per year. The DOE standards set a
maximum allowable annual energy consumption for different sizes and classes of
refrigerators.
The energy bill for a typical new
refrigerator with automatic defrost and top-mounted freezer will be about
$55/year, whereas a typical model sold in 1973 will cost nearly $160/year.
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
the refrigerator, and to illuminate the interior.
Although many energy-efficient products
may be more expensive to purchase, they will cost less to operate over the
lifetime of the appliance. For example, a more expensive model could pay for
itself in a little over three years. Over the 15-year lifetime, the more
expensive refrigerator might save $750!
Federal law requires that EnergyGuide
labels be placed on all new refrigerators. These labels are bright yellow with
black lettering. When you're shopping for the best buy in a new appliance,
using EnergyGuide labels can save you money.
The EnergyGuide label on new
refrigerators will tell you how much electricity in kilowatt-hours (kWh) a
particular model uses in one year. The smaller the number, the less energy the
refrigerator uses and the less it will cost you to operate. In addition to the
EnergyGuide label, don't forget to look for the ENERGY
STAR label. A new refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR label will save you
between $35 and $70 over a year compared to the models designed 10 years ago.
This adds up to between $525 and $1050 over the average 15- to 20-year life of
the unit.
Tips for Lowering Your
Refrigerator Energy Usage
- Keep your refrigerator or freezer at
the following temperatures: 37-40°F for the fresh food compartment of the
refrigerator, 0-5°F for the freezer section. Use a thermometer to check
inside temperatures.
- Regularly defrost manual-defrost
refrigerators and freezers; don't allow frost to build up more than 1/4
inch.
- Make sure your refrigerator and
freezer door seals are airtight. Check the seal on door gaskets
periodically by closing the door on a dollar bill. If it pulls out easily,
you may need a new gasket.
- Keep the doors closed as much as
possible and make sure they are closed tightly.
- To ensure proper cooling of its
contents, don't crowd food items. Too many dishes obstruct air
circulation.
- Cover liquids and wrap foods stored
in the refrigerator. Uncovered foods release moisture and make the
compressor work harder.
- Replace paper wrappings on food items
with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Paper is an insulator.
- Consider turning off the butter
conditioner since it is a little heater inside your refrigerator.
- Experiment with the "energy
saver" switch in your refrigerator - it allows you to adjust the
heating coil under the "skin" of the refrigerator (the purpose
of the heating coils is to prevent condensation on your refrigerator).
- Placement of the refrigerator is very
important. Direct sunlight and close contact with hot appliances will make
the compressor work harder. More importantly, heat from the compressor and
condensing coil must be able to escape freely, or it will cause the same
problem. Don't suffocate the refrigerator by enclosing it tightly in
cabinets or against the wall. The proper breathing space will vary
depending on the location of the coils and compressor on each
model--something important to know before the cabinets are redesigned.
- Regularly brush off or vacuum the
refrigerator coils on the back or bottom of the unit.
- Because most refrigerators reject
heat from the bottom and/or back, they need adequate clearance to allow
sufficient airflow. While no specific studies have been done to calculate
the optimum clearance space, one general rule-of-thumb is to double the
space recommended by manufacturers for refrigerator installation. Another
rule-of-thumb is to allow 2 inches of air flow around the refrigerator.
- Don't keep that old, inefficient
fridge running day and night in the garage for those few occasions when
you need extra refreshments. A 15-year-old refrigerator could cost
$100-$150 per year.
Tips for Buying a New
Refrigerator
Top freezer models are more efficient
(use 7-13% less energy) than side-by-side models.
Manual defrost models use half the
energy of automatic defrost models but must be defrosted periodically to
remain energy efficient.
Automatic ice-makers and
through-the-door dispensers will increase energy use by 14 to 20% and
increase the purchase price by about $75-250.
Models with an anti-sweat heater will
consume 5% to 10% more energy. Look for a model that has an "energy
saver" switch that allows you to turn off or turn down the heating
coils (which prevent condensation).
The most energy-efficient models are in
the 16-20 cubic foot sizes. Generally, the larger the refrigerator, the
greater the energy consumption. Too large a model will waste space and
energy; too small a model could mean extra trips to the supermarket.
It is usually less costly to run one
larger refrigerator than two smaller ones.
If two different sized refrigerators
use the same amount of energy, the larger model can be considered more
efficient because it keeps more space cold with the same amount of
electricity.
Questions to Ask When Shopping
Are rebates or financing available from
local utilities or government agencies for the purchase of this refrigerator?
What is the energy rating? (Be sure to
check the EnergyGuide label.)
What makes this model more energy
efficient than other similar models?
What do I need to know about the
refrigerator in order to use it most effectively? (e.g., allow 2 inches air
flow around refrigerators)
When buying a contractor-supplied
refrigerator, specify an estimated annual energy use.
U.S. Department of Energy
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