And Which Ones Are Worth Your Money?
Did you know that out of all of your appliances, your refrigerator uses the most energy within your home? According to the department of energy, it uses about 5% of your total electricity every month. It doesn't sound like a lot, but in comparison to how much everything else uses, it is. The only things in your home that use more energy are your air conditioning, space heating, and water heater. Fortunately for you, there are options for improving your current fridge or replacing it.
So how do companies make a refrigerator energy efficient? Currently, three options are commonly used among companies like LG, whirlpool, and Samsung.
The first is a little like Papa Bear in the story of Goldilocks. Manufacturers take the casing of the fridge and expand it so that they have more space to fill in with insulation. This does come with several drawbacks, though.
-a larger refrigerator is going to draw more energy.
-the larger the refrigerator is, the higher the price tag is. More materials are used to make the product, and manufacturers want to recoup it.
-If you're looking to replace your fridge with a newer one, you must keep that larger space in mind. It is possible and has happened more than once that a client will have to completely remodel their space to fit the new fridge.
Another way manufacturers increase their refrigerators' energy efficiency is a bit more like Mama Bear. Instead of making the case bigger, they keep it the same size and just stuff more insulation into the existing space. This keeps it a standardized size, but it decreases the internal capacity of the fridge. So it's a bit like swinging too far the other way.
Many homeowners, especially today, are looking for a blend of internal storage space and energy efficiency. And that's what brings us to the just-right version of a refrigerator. Instead of expanding the refrigerator or reducing the internal capacity, manufacturers look to new materials and technologies. Still keep the standard size case and fill the inside with more efficient insulation. Then they pair that with an energy-efficient cooling system that is more advanced. The downside is that since these materials are still not in common use, the price tag goes up accordingly.
We'll quickly take a look at some of the most energy-efficient refrigerators in different styles currently on the market.
Best Top Freezer
Model: Whirlpool WRT112CZJZ
Price: $568
Biggest Pro: It's considered a very reliable refrigerator model that lasts for ages.
Biggest Con: It's a very straightforward refrigerator and freezer, and there aren't any bells or whistles to it.
Best Bottom Freezer
Model: LG LBNC15231V
Price: $1295
Biggest Pro: All shelves are adjustable, so you can set up the fridge any way you want.
Biggest Con: For all that, it's only slightly larger than the previous model and doesn't have any additional features; it's double the price of the Top Freezer model.
Best French Door Refrigerator
Model: LG LFC22770ST
Price: $1679
Best Side By Side Refrigerator
Model: LG LSXS26326S
Price: $1500
Biggest Pro: It has the most interior space of all of the refrigerators on our list today.
Biggest Con: As we said in the first section, a bigger fridge means more energy usage.
Best Built In Refrigerator
Model: Thermador Freedom Collection T36BB915SS
Price: $11499
Biggest Pro: This one offers the highest reliability, customer satisfaction, and ease of use on our list.
Biggest Con: It has wifi.
What if you don't want to replace your refrigerator, though? Instead, you might look at making your current refrigerator more energy efficient. To that end, we have seven tips that can help you out.
First, organize your fridge. It sounds like such a simple thing and something many of us consider cleaning or trying to make our lives a little faster and a little easier. But it can actually be really good for your refrigerator's health as well. Your refrigerator relies on its ability to pump air through the fridge, typically coming from the Top, cycling down to the bottom, and then out through the vents at the bottom of your fridge. When the vents are blocked, the motor has to work even harder to force more air in to continue circulating. This causes many problems, from cold air pooling and even freezing some sections of the fridge and other areas being only slightly cooler than the ambient temperature of the room.
To solve that consider grouping things together in bins and drawers. This way, things don't get shoved to the back of the fridge over time.
Our next tip is to look after the seals on your doors. These seals or gaskets protect your fridge from warm air coming in from outside. However, when you're constantly opening and closing the doors to grab ‘just one thing you forgot’ or to get water or ice, those seals give way. Well, your fridge might be able to last 15 years, but those gaskets will give out after just a few, especially with constant opening and closing. So check once a year. See if they are cracking, rotting, or pulling away. If they are, call up your favorite repair company to come and have it replaced. Not only does that help with your electric bill, but it also means you'll be cutting down on wasted food.
A third tip for you, keep the fridge away from high heat. While this is much harder in Texas Summers, you can take small steps to help your fridge. Don't position your fridge so that it's right next to your oven, your range, or your dishwasher. Make sure that the refrigerator doesn't stand in direct light for long periods of time. All of these things lead to the outside casing of the refrigerator heating up and the motor having to work harder to try and ensure the inside is cool.
Another cleaning tip, keep your condenser coils clean. Those coils are how the refrigerator breathes essentially, and when they're covered in dirt and dust, your fridge can't breathe. Just like you start drawing deeper, harder breaths, if you have something obstructing your lungs, your fridge does too. Working harder means that your electrical bill will go up now, and it will shorten the life of your refrigerator. This means you'll have to replace it far sooner than you wanted.
One final cleaning-oriented tip, clean up the ice inside your freezer. This is a summing that you have a freezer attached to your refrigerator. The motor works for both of them, and if the frost is building up in your freezer, then you'll have that motor working even harder, trying to circulate air on that side to get around the obstruction. So you can either regularly scrape off the ice that builds up or defrost your fridge and freezer on a regular basis. Both are options, and both will save you money in the long run.
Moving away from cleaning, try cooling your food before you put it into the fridge or freezer. So if you take food that is steaming hot right after dinner or right after you bake it, for example, and put it into the fridge, your fridge has to work to take the temperature down anywhere from 350° to 500° down to around 40°. On the other hand, if you let your food cool down on the counter prior to putting it away for storage, it only needs to bring it down from the ambient temperature of the room. Doing this means that the fridge doesn't have to work as hard, which cuts down on electricity usage. And that is what we are always hoping to do.
A final tip is to consider investing in a countertop ice maker. If you have an ice maker inside of your freezer or you use bottled water all the time, you have to constantly open your fridge and freezer. Instead, keeping an ice maker on the counter uses up a very small amount of energy in comparison to what your fridge draws every time you have to open it up. Given that we live in Texas, it might be more helpful to get an under-the-counter ice maker, which would be larger, but that is entirely up to you.
Wrapping all of that up, do you still have questions? Do you have any tips that maybe we missed? Let us know over on our Facebook page, as we always love to hear from you.
If you're here because your refrigerator just isn't getting cool enough even after you've tried to organize it or clean the coils, reach out to us. You can get hold of us by calling ((214) 599-0055) or by going to our contact page. Whatever the issue is, we'll work with you until you're satisfied that the problem has been fixed. Our top goal at Appliance Rescue Service is to get your home running smoothly again.