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

Things You'll Need:

• Freezer Tape
• Product Brochures
• Measuring Tapes
• Freezer Paper

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.

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.