Updated: July 27, 2022
Did you know that refrigerators can account for as much as 15 to 20 percent of your home’s electric bill?
That’s what I discovered the other day when I used an online electric consumption calculator. I plugged the appliances we have at home into the calculator and checked how close the results would be to our latest electricity bill.
Well, it came pretty close to the actual cost we have.
Then, out of curiosity, I removed appliances one by one on the list and checked how the estimated bill would change.
That’s when I discovered that indeed, the refrigerator is one of the top three energy guzzlers in our house – the other two being the airconditioner and our lighting fixtures.
I’ve already pointed this out in my previous article on how to save electricity, and I’ve already provided some tips there on how to decrease the energy use in our refrigerators.
Nonetheless, I’d like to present them again here and furthermore add a few more tips. I hope that these can help you reduce your electric bills in some way or another.
- Make sure that you are using a refrigerator that is appropriately sized for your needs. If your fridge is too small, you may be overworking it. If it’s too large, then you’re potentially wasting energy and home space.
- Refrigerators with ice makers and through-the-door water dispensers tend to use more energy. It may seem cool to have one of those models but in a broader perspective, it’s not really a necessary feature.
- Frost-free refrigerators and models with automatic defrosting features consume more electricity than the manual-defrost types. This is something you should consider when buying a new ref. If you think you’ll be too busy to do manual defrosting once the ice builds up by more than 1/4 inch thick, then it may be more economical for you to get the models with the advanced features.
- Give your unit some room to breathe, place it at least 4 inches away from the wall so as not to overwork the motor. Moreover, move it away from heat sources such as the stove or oven.
- Do a test on the refrigerator seals. Insert a piece of paper or a bill along the edge and close the fridge. Check if you can easily pull it out. Repeat in several places. Change or fix your refrigerator seals if the suction has become weak or the seal has been damaged.
- Avoid putting hot or warm food inside the ref. Let it cool first before putting them inside.
- Remove frozen food in the freezer and let it thaw inside the fridge. This helps in the cooling. Do this instead of just putting it outside on the kitchen counter or using the microwave.
- Open the fridge as infrequently and briefly as possible. Properly stock the items inside and try to have an inventory list stuck on the door so you won’t waste so much time searching for what’s inside.
- When the refrigerator is almost empty, put in a few bottles of water to help store the cold. Conversely, internal air circulation is important for the fridge so avoid overloading it with stuff.
- Lastly, if your fridge is old, say over 10 years already, do consider getting a new one. Refrigerators nowadays have energy efficiency features and better-performing motors that help you in saving electricity.
You can check out the Watt Matters Consumption Calculator here.
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Photo credit: Rich Anderson
[…] Ready To Be Rich’s spied on me and learned that my refrigerator is more than 10 years old and I’m planning on buying a new one :-). One of those things that escaped me is replacing that trusty old White Westinghouse. I’ll definitely try that tip on inserting a paper bill along the edge and seeing if I can easily pull it out once the door is closed. Oh and yeah, he says the ones that make ice and dispenses them through that little window consumes more power. More tips in his blog, […]
great post pal. thanks for sharing those 10 helpful tips on energy saving. 🙂
simple but effective.
thanks!
It is important to ensure that your refrigerator is being as energy efficient, energy saving kitchen appliance as possible…and these tips you posted definitely help to ensure this happens.
Thanks!
Wow! Thank you for sharing these 10 great tips on how to save energy. This will be a great help
Thanks for sharing this one. It’s really helpful to post things on the net. I was able to read this last year, then forgot some of it as time went by. The info looked “new” to me again. hehe! All the best Sir Fitz!
[…] Top 10 Energy Saving Tips and Facts For Refrigerators […]
Thanks for good read! When buying a refrigerator, it may be wise to consider two different prices that you will need to pay. The first price that you must pay is the initial cost for the energy efficient refrigerator. Thanks!
Wow thanks for the very informative post…I don’t think if my bill this year will never cost low. I guess I need to buy another refrigerator.
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easy money…easy budget…just manage your bills….save energy…save electricity…..
[…] Top 10 Energy Saving Tips and Facts For Refrigerators […]
In addition set your refrigerator switch to minimum it also can help reduce the cost of electricity I already tried it and it works.
thank you. I enjoy reading your blog.
This is great. I am also trying to find some ways that would save energy. this time i am evaluating the posibility to save electricity through one-appliance-at-a-time-scheme.
Example, if i am going to use the washing machine i put off the refrigerator, electric iron is on the other appliance is off, so far i got a good response.
Can we save electricity if we turn off the fridge at night and turn it on again in the morning? We’re using frost free type..tnx
Hi Joy. It would be better to let the fridge on and plugged in.
would it be healthy if we turn off the fridge at night and turn it on again in the morning? just to save a little bill
@jay
it’s not advisable because that will actually use more energy. just make sure the ref’s thermostat is working properly and avoid unnecessary opening to minimize temperature changes – this will conserve more energy.
are there specific brand of refrigerators that are low in electric consumption?
[…] from electric and other utility bills, your groceries will also take a huge chunk out of your budget, especially if you have more […]
Thanks for sharing this tips very helpful. I have a question uhm, should I set the temperature to max so it will reduce electricity consumption? Because my friend says that if you lower the temperature, it will consume too much electricity because the motor will run discontinously.