Buying a New Refrigerator

by Murray Anderson

Think your old fridge is about ready to give up the ghost? Or has its gold or almond color finally turned you off long enough that you’ve decided to get rid of it. Getting rid of that old fridge is probably a good idea, since newer fridge designs can use up to two thirds less energy than fridges made 25 years ago. Since you’ll be living with your new fridge for lots of years, be prepared to make a whole bunch of decisions, since you want to choose the one that’s right for you, your family and the environment.

Energy Efficiency

• A fridge can account for up to 15% of a homes energy consumption, in spite of the many advances that have been made in refrigerator technology. When you are considering your choices be sure they are Energy Star certified. A fridge with the Energy Star label has been tested to ensure it meets strict government requirements to minimize energy consumption.
• Also check out the yellow Energuide label on your favored models. This tells you that model’s energy consumption and how it compares to other models in the same class. Since even similar designs can consume significantly different amounts of energy, this little tag can help guide you to lower energy costs over the years.

Choosing a style

• Family refrigerators come in at least four different styles – top freezer, bottom freezer, side by side and French door styles (a bottom-mounted freezer with two narrow doors on top) and each design has pros and cons associated with it.
• Top freezers are the most common design and are usually the least expensive as well as the least trouble prone design. Bottom freezers are convenient in that the refrigerator section is up above the freezer making it easy to see and reach food, while the less frequently used freezer compartment is on the bottom. This not only makes sense from a convenience perspective but also for energy saving as well, since warm air rises. With the freezer section on the bottom, your compressor won’t need to work as hard to keep the freezer cold. The negative to this design is food may end up getting buried at the bottom of the freezer and you could end up on your knees digging into the freezer section.
• Side by side models have two narrow doors with the freezer on one side and the fridge on the other. The narrow doors are convenient in small or galley style kitchens, however, the narrow shelves can make storing large items (like a pizza box) difficult. French door models combine a full bottom freezer with two fridge doors that can be opened, making it possible for them to accommodate wide items that a regular side by side can’t. Although they are stylish, side by side designs tend to use more energy that top or bottom mounted freezer models (in some cases up to 25% more).

Size is important

• In general, the larger the fridge the more energy it consumes, so you don’t want to end up with more fridge than you need. A good rule of thumb for determining the fridge capacity is two people will require 16 to 20 cubic feet of fresh food space with an extra foot added on for each extra person in the household
  
• Don’t forget to measure your old fridge or the space where you’ll be putting your new fridge. Most standard fridges are about 5 ½ feet tall, but they can vary quite a bit in both width and depth. You don’t want to end up with a fridge that won’t fit under an overhead cabinet or will overlap a doorway.
  
• Depending on internal capacity, top and bottom mounted freezers can vary from 24” up to 36” wide and 27” to 32” deep, while side by sides models are often wider, ranging from 30” to 36” across.

What about options

• Ice makers, in door ice cube dispensers and cold water dispensers are all nice features to have in your new fridge. Unfortunately, they all consume energy as well as increase the price of your new fridge.
  
• Automatic defrost and moisture control are options that are well worth their cost for energy savings and convenience. While manual defrost models will cost less than an auto defrost fridge, if it isn’t defrosted on a regular basis it could actually end up costing more to operate (a frost build up of more than ¼” will make the compressor work harder and use more energy). Most people just aren’t that diligent about defrosting their fridge.

Helping your fridge stay efficient

• The best technology in the world can always use a little help to maintain its efficiency. You can help keep your new fridge’s operating costs and energy consumption down in a number of ways.
  
• Don’t install your new fridge close to ovens, over a heat register or even in direct sunlight.
  
• Make sure air can flow around the back and under the bottom of your new fridge and clean the coils on a regular basis.
  
• Inside the fridge, keep the air vents unobstructed so cool air can circulate and cover leftover food you put in the fridge so fridge doesn’t have to deal with moisture coming out of the food.

A Final Thought

Many utility companies and municipalities are offering rebates to consumers replacing old fridges with Energy Star compliant new models. Check with your local utility to see if they are offering such a program. You could help your pocket book and the environment at the same time.

Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer over 500 articles published on the web as well as in print magazines and newspapers in both the United States and Canada. He writes on a wide range of topics and is a regular contributor to DoItYourself.com. He can be contacted at murand@lycos.com.

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