How to Choose a Freezer
A stand-alone freezer is a big investment. Make sure you'll have enough frozen foods to fill it almost to capacity for the most energy efficient use of your appliance.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
-
-
1
Measure the available space that you have for a freezer, keeping in mind that you need a little room on all sides for venting and that the freezer should be on level ground.
-
2
Decide if you want a chest freezer or an upright. Consider ease of accessing food and your space limitations. Chest freezers generally have fewer features than upright freezers.
-
3
Check the yellow EnergyGuide tag for the freezer's energy efficiency rating. The lower the number, the less energy the freezer uses in a year.
-
4
Choose the freezer capacity, expressed in cubic feet, with your storage needs in mind.
-
5
Select a frost-free model if desired. Chest freezers are usually not frost-free.
-
6
Check the arrangement of the racks and baskets or drawers inside the freezer to be sure they're convenient to access.
-
7
Read the warranty information carefully and ask about service options.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Your height is important when choosing a freezer. For example, short people may have trouble reaching down into deep chest freezers.
Your freezer will need to be plugged into a grounded outlet.
Frost-free freezers are convenient but also cost more to run than standard freezers.
Even with an EnergyGuide rating, the cost of operating a freezer depends on several things, including how full it is and how hot (or cold) the outside temperature is if the freezer isn't in the house.
