How to Compare Upright Freezers

Upright freezers are appliances designed to keep food at or below freezing. Unlike chest freezers, which require you to bend over and dig to the bottom to reach your frozen food, upright freezers stand up so you can access your frozen food much like you access food in a refrigerator. When you shop for upright freezers, look for freezers that allow you to store more food without requiring a lot of work. Compare upright freezers and you'll find the unit that's just right for your family.

Instructions

1. Compare the energy efficiency of upright freezers. Buying an Energy Star model helps ensure that the upright freezer you buy meets energy efficiency standards. Read the Energy Guide label to see just how efficient each upright freezer is.

2. Shop for upright freezers in the size you need. Large freezers take up a lot of space and use a lot of energy. If you don't need a large freezer, buying one too big is a waste of money. An upright freezer offers shelf storage in the freezer plus door storage you can access when you open the freezer door.

3. Buy an upright freezer that requires manual defrost if you want to save energy and spend less on a freezer. Upgrading to a frost-free model is more expensive, but you never have to defrost your freezer.

4. Consider removable shelves and bins in your upright freezer to easily access your food. This also makes it easier to organize your frozen foods.

5. If you want to be able to freeze food fast, shop for upright freezers that offer auto fast-freeze features. If your freezer is too warm, auto fast-freeze kicks into high gear to bring your frozen foods back down to freezing. Auto fast-freeze stops automatically once all the food in your freezer is back down to freezing temperatures.

References

• Energy Star: Buyers Guide for Freezers
• Tesco.com: Freezers Buying Guide