Invest in an energy efficient refrigerator and save money on utility bills!

Sean Darras - Contributing Writer
Posted on Thursday 14th May 2009

If your refrigerator is older than 1993, you can save up to $200/year by upgrading to a newer energystar model. That means it will pay for itself in 3-5 years! Even if you have a conventional refrigerator from 2001 or earlier, you can still save 40% on energy costs. In general, 40% savings will provide you with a payback period from 4-6 years.

Check out these tips for buying and operating an energy efficient refrigerator:

  1. The most energy efficient orientation is the type with a top freezer, rather than the side-by-side setup.
  2. Automatic ice and water dispensers decrease the energy efficiency of your refrigerator, which will raise your utility bills.
  3. A fridge with auto-defrost is less efficient than a fridge that you manually defrost, however you must periodically manually defrost the fridge in order to maintain optimum efficiency.
  4. Turn off the anti-sweat switch. The extra humidity control that this setting provides is rarely worth the extra energy it consumes.
  5. One large refrigerator is more efficient than two smaller ones.
  6. The more full your refrigerator or freezer is, the more money you will save on your utility bills.

Take a hard look at your refrigerator situation see for yourself if the investment in energy efficiency will pay off. When shopping for an energy efficient refrigerator make sure to look for the energystar label. Remember these energy-saving tips when making your decision and save money on your utility bills.

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