Refrigerators and Freezers: 5 Energy-Wasting Mistakes

Your appliances use up the most energy in the house. If you learn to control the energy waste of your major appliances then you will lower your electricity bills. One big culprit to pay attention to is your refrigerator/freezer.

Take a look at these five common energy-wasting mistakes and make sure that you’re not doing them:

1. Hanging on to an old refrigerator for too long. The single biggest mistake that people tend to make is that they will keep an older refrigerator or freezer rather than investing in a new one that might be more energy-efficient. You shouldn’t have to replace your appliances too often but if it’s been ten years or more then it might be worth it to take a look at what’s come out on the market. Always look at Energy Star appliances and consider what’s best for your home energy needs.

2. Cramming your refrigerator into a too-small space. Many people place their refrigerators so that they are sitting right up against the side of a counter. This wastes energy because the refrigerator doesn’t have room to breathe and therefore needs to work harder. Make sure that you’ve maintained at least 2 inches of space around all sides of the refrigerator (including the back) to allow it to work efficiently. This may mean getting a smaller refrigerator if you have limited kitchen space.

3. Placing the refrigerator next to other appliances. If the refrigerator is close to appliances that generate heat (stoves, dishwashers) then the refrigerator will have to work harder to stay cool. If you don’t have a choice about the placement of your refrigerator then you should put insulating foam between the refrigerator and other appliances in order to minimize the problem.

4. Misuse of the freezer. There are two huge freezer mistakes that people make. Number one is to keep the freezer too warm. Lower the temperature down to about zero degrees. This allows you to raise the temperature in the refrigerator without overworking the machine. Number two is to fail to stock the freezer. A full freezer keeps itself cool so that the machine doesn’t need to work as hard.

5. Not cleaning the fridge often enough. You need to keep the inside and the outside of your refrigerator clean if you want it to work properly. It’s most important that you keeping the cooling coils of the machine clean so that they work effectively without wasting energy.