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Choosing a refrigerator is an important decision for both environmental and financial reasons.

A refrigerator's motor runs frequently and intermittently around the clock, drawing considerable power during the minutes when it runs, so refrigerators are a major user of domestic electricity. The US Department of Energy estimates that a refrigerator uses 14% of a given household's electricity.^{[verification needed]}

Choosing a fridge

• Check the star ratings. Higher ratings mean a higher purchase price, but lower operating costs. If you're paying a premium for green power, then it becomes even more cost-effective to buy the more energy-efficient item.
  • Do your calculations - while information provided by the manufacturer isn't always accurate, some basic calculations give an idea of how much you can save.
• Choose a size just large enough for your needs - this can also save money. This takes some guesswork, but remember - not so long ago, people didn't have refrigerators, so getting by with a slightly smaller one isn't a disaster. It may force you to clean out the fridge more often, which is often a good thing. Better yet, food items are less likely to become buried, be forgotten, and spoil.
  • Be realistic about how much cooking you will do, and how often you will shop for foods that need refrigeration.
• Look for new energy-saving features such as improved insulation.
• Glass shelves are easy to clean and prevent spills going down onto items below.

Types

Refrigerators, health and quality of life

A refrigerator may be seen as a luxury - however it allows a more varied diet, use of more fresh ingredients, more salads, and thus improved nutrition and more enjoyment from food. Widespread ownership of food cooling devices (whether fridges or an appropriate technology alternative) is thus a reasonable aim for an international development program.

After buying your fridge/freezer

For the life of the refrigerator, be aware of the door seals - they must be airtight, or leakage will increase energy usage.

You may see a recommendation to clean your refrigerator coils. This is usually not a good idea and won't save energy - see Should I clean my refrigerator coils.

Recycling and disposing

Warning: If you store an old refrigerator or freezer or leave it awaiting collection for a length of time, remove the door so children cannot be trapped inside.

To recycle your unit:

• Many retailers will pick up and recycle your old fridge or freezer when you buy a new one. A list of such retailers in the United States is available at the ENERGY STAR partners page, and the US EPA lists places to get a cash incentive for recycling.
• Contact your local council's waste management department and ask if they collect old units for recycling.

More tips

• A second refrigerator left running can cost more than US$120 per year. See if you can consolidate all your food and drinks into one refrigerator.
• One large refrigerator is more efficient (and therefore cheaper to run) than two smaller ones.
• Try to remember where you put things in the refrigerator, and decide which items to remove before you open the door. That will minimize the time that you keep the door open, when cold air spills out and wastes energy. This is much less of an issue with a chest-style refrigerator or freezer with a door that opens upward, as the cold air remains pooled inside with less circulation to the outside air.
• Using transparent food storage containers makes it easier to identify the item you want, so you don't have to hold the door open for minutes while you open containers to inspect them.
• When stocking groceries into the refrigerator, position them all nearby so you can open the door just once and put them all in quickly. It is better to hold the door open just once for a few seconds than to repeatedly open and shut the door between items, which "fans" the interior causing more air exchange with the room.
• The lower you set your building thermostat in winter, the less energy your refrigerator will consume during the cold months. You will also of course save energy on building heat by lowering your thermostat in winter.
• Try to avoid opening your refrigerator door more than necessary during times of peak electricity demand, such as on hot summer weekdays. Opening the door (on a conventional upright refrigerator) lets a burst of warm air rush into the refrigerator as the cold air spills out. This often triggers the refrigerator's motor to run. Using electricity at times of peak demand typically generates more greenhouse gas emissions per kWh consumed, as utilities have to run less efficient peaking generators to meet the demand. The more of your electricity usage you shift to the hours of lower demand, the greener you are.

See also

• Washing and drying clothes

External links

• Best Practices for Refrigerators - EnergyStar.gov
• refrigeration without power - the cool box
• keeping your stuff cold - discussion at the permaculture forums
• "Chest fridge". Retrieved 2011-03-12. - describes the (allegedly) world's most efficient refrigerator, consumes just 3kWh/month