15 replies to this topic

[Hydrotopia]

I put my Kill-A-Watt meter on our old refrigerator in the garage for a full year and it tallied 1061 KWh for the year at $111. I think that's slightly high. The coils were cleaned at the beginning of the period.

[cjw518]

How old is your old fridge? That does seem pretty high. Is it near anything that might heat it or a window? I know we had one that was near a sunny window in the garage and it was running at full speed constantly. Once we moved it, it seemed to stay cooler with less effort.

Thanks for the reminder - I want to get one of those meters to test all kinds of things around the house. :)

[Hydrotopia]

About 10 years old. The summers here in south Florida are equatorial so that might be what it is pushing against.

[kathie_san]

I think you should consider buying a new fridge. Even the old one we had at home has coils and it has been replaced recently, the old fridge we had has been there for almost 2 decades lol. So yeah, new refrigerators are more energy efficient.

[Jessi]

Yeah, refrigerator and freezer technology has come a long way in the last decade. Even in peak condition, a new one is going to be much more efficient both to the environment and your wallet than your old one is. It's worth the investment in the long run.

[jasserEnv]

To really make replacement worthwhile both to the individual and to the environment, it is important to get a fridge with significant efficiency rather than just getting one that meets the minimum standards to be called "energy efficient". When we change one product for another we have to think of the manufacturing, transportation and recycling costs of replacement at the same time. The costs might be higher but you can amortize them over the life of the fridge so it is important to consider this in your calculations.

[greenking]

Changing your ref would be the best option =) Get the real "energy efficient" one.

[dconklin]

cjw518, on 13 December 2011 - 05:06 PM, said:

How old is your old fridge? That does seem pretty high. Is it near anything that might heat it or a window? I know we had one that was near a sunny window in the garage and it was running at full speed constantly. Once we moved it, it seemed to stay cooler with less effort.

Thanks for the reminder - I want to get one of those meters to test all kinds of things around the house. :)

That makes a lot of sense! I think our fridge works a little harder, but it is set up next to the stove.  There really isn't any other place to put it tho.  The place is an older historic place with a small kitchen.  That and I only have 2 outlets (well besides the plug behind the dishwasher) in the kitchen.  Only one outlet can be used for the fridge and the stove so I really have no choice but to keep them together.

[FamilyTreeClimber]

A couple of years ago, we replaced our old refrigerator as it was breaking down.  It was over 30 years old.  It was made before any kind of energy efficient models were produced.

I was really surprised at the savings on our electricity bill after installing a brand new model.  The bill dropped $40-$50 a month just by changing that one appliance.  They certainly have made them more energy efficient since the 1970s!

[dconklin]

FamilyTreeClimber, on 09 May 2012 - 07:07 PM, said:

A couple of years ago, we replaced our old refrigerator as it was breaking down.  It was over 30 years old.  It was made before any kind of energy efficient models were produced.

I was really surprised at the savings on our electricity bill after installing a brand new model.  The bill dropped $40-$50 a month just by changing that one appliance.  They certainly have made them more energy efficient since the 1970s!

Wow, that is surprising! I didn't realize the fridge can raise your bill an extra $40 a month.  My bill is usually only around $40-$50 a month except on the really hot summer months.  I am sure my fridge is the best, but I know it is not that high!

[energy_expert]

I read about a product called Coolpro made by a company called V-Blox...it maximizes the life of the compressor in the refrigerator. It should save close to 30% on your cooling costs, I think. Worth looking in to!

[FamilyTreeClimber]

dconklin, The old refrigerator was large.  It was almost industrial sized.  It was the largest size they made in the 1970s.  What is interesting is we replaced it with an energy efficient model that has almost as much storage space but was not as large.  They build them differently these days. Because refrigerators use energy more efficiently now, it uses only a fraction of the energy the old clunker did.

So, sometimes you can save money by spending some money.  We had to replace the old one when the freezer starting leaking water.  Though, the new one costs a little more than we planned to spend, it made up for the difference in a very short time.

[zararina]

Yes, spending a bit more for more energy saving type of refrigerator can make you save more in the future.
Too old appliances or those that are not working perfectly might consume more energy and those should be replaced or totally be fixed to avoid higher electricity bills.

[dconklin]

FamilyTreeClimber, on 12 June 2012 - 01:12 PM, said:

dconklin, The old refrigerator was large.  It was almost industrial sized.  It was the largest size they made in the 1970s.  What is interesting is we replaced it with an energy efficient model that has almost as much storage space but was not as large.  They build them differently these days. Because refrigerators use energy more efficiently now, it uses only a fraction of the energy the old clunker did.

So, sometimes you can save money by spending some money.  We had to replace the old one when the freezer starting leaking water.  Though, the new one costs a little more than we planned to spend, it made up for the difference in a very short time.

I just realized in my post that I said my fridge is the best, I meant that I am sure it is NOT the best.  I can imagine you saw a big difference! I am sure that I would see a difference with mine too, but it is not as bad as a fridge from the '70s is what I meant to say.  Funny how a typo can change the whole meaning

[MakingCents]

Ahh, you live in Florida so you probably don't have a basement?  It was amazing when we moved our 2nd refrigerator to the basement from the garage the stuff stayed much cooler and the electric bill went WAY down.

[fancyfingers]

I am wondering, what is the ideal number to look for when purchasing an energy efficient appliance, in particular, since this thread is about refrigerators, a refrigerator? I always see the yellow sticker inside the appliances at the stores and I have to admit, I start to get overwhelmed. Any suggestions for a baseline number would be great.