Refrigerators are one of most widely used cooling devices. They work round the clock, nonstop. We can’t imagine a kitchen without a refrigerator, but have you ever thought how much energy does a refrigerator consume to keep your food and beverages fresh in a cold least perishable environment.
Refrigerators consume electricity like anything and accounts to approximately 10% to 20% of your total home electricity usage. Most of us just ignore the energy consuming aspect of the device and end up paying huge electricity bills for months and years.
There are many factors which help you decide the energy efficiency of the refrigerators. If you are thinking to upgrade your existing kitchen appliances or setting up a new home and kitchen, keep the following things in mind before making a choice for a refrigerator.
Energy Star Certification: The energy star ratings help you determine the electricity consumption of the device and guarantees that the device is designed as per government standards of energy-efficient appliances. However, it is not necessary that all energy star certified devices consume same amount of energy, the energy consumption may vary from one model to other. It is recommended to compare different models to find the one which suits you best, in terms of, energy efficiency and affordability.
Size of the Refrigerator: The bigger the refrigerator, the more energy it consumes. Compact refrigerators though have less storage space than their bigger counterparts, but, surprisingly, the most efficient ones till date. If you have a small family, say, a family of 2 go for a compact mini fridge.
Here it is essential to point out that overfilling the refrigerator beyond its storage capacity can again cost you more. If you keep your mini fridge packed full, the device has to work harder leading to more energy consumption, hence making it less efficient. Likewise, if your refrigerator is too big for your needs or in other words oversized, it has to keep that empty space cool as well even if you are not using it, thereby causing more energy consumption.
Configuration of the Refrigerator: Well it is quite astonishing to know that the configuration of the refrigerator also matters a lot in determining the energy efficiency of the device. If you prefer a double door fridge, always opt for the one that have top freezer as these models provide more usable space and consume less energy when compared to bottom freezer units or side-by-side units.
It is better if you overlook the icemaker and in-door water and ice dispenser as each of these features consume roughly 10% to 15% more energy than the basic models.
Be smart, design an eco-friendly kitchen, and save your money for a long-time due vacation rather than feeding the electricity bills.