How to Improve Refrigerator Efficiency

A refrigerator with a side freezer is less efficient than a model equipped with a top or bottom freezer.

Of all of your home's appliances, the refrigerator uses the most energy. Additionally, the age of your refrigerator can negatively affect its efficiency; an energy-efficient model uses 60 percent less energy than a 20-year-old model, meaning that an older model refrigerator might cost you $280 more a year in utility fees. Although not everyone can afford to buy a new refrigerator, there are steps you can take to improve the efficiency of your old refrigerator and lower your energy expenses.

Things You'll Need

• Dollar bill

Instructions

1. Check the seals of your refrigerator and freezer doors. Take a dollar bill and close the refrigerator door on it; try to remove the bill. If the bill is easily removed, air is escaping along with your money. Replace the seal as soon as possible.

2. Pull your refrigerator out from the wall once a month and dust or vacuum the coils. This improves efficiency of the refrigerator by as much as 30 percent.

3. Arrange the refrigerator so that a space is left between it and the wall, allowing air to circulate.

4. Monitor the temperature on your refrigerator. A refrigerator set higher than it needs to be wastes energy up to 25 percent. Set your fridge's temperature to between 35 and 38 degrees Fahrenheit.

5. Fill empty gallon jugs with water and place them in your refrigerator if there is very little food in it; an empty refrigerator runs inefficiently. When someone opens and closes the refrigerator, those cold, gallon jugs help the unit to return to its original temperature quickly.

6. Limit food purchases to only what can fit into the refrigerator easily. A stuffed refrigerator interferes with cold air circulation.

7. Store leftovers in clear containers or label them so that you can open and close the refrigerator quickly.

8. Defrost your refrigerator or freezer on a regular schedule. Ice buildup makes the appliance run inefficiently.

Tips & Warnings

• When disposing of an old refrigerator, contact your local waste management and inquire about a recycling program.

• If you own an extra refrigerator that you don't keep much food in, get rid of it.

• Never leave an old refrigerator where children can get locked inside.

• Never put hot foods in the refrigerator.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Energy Efficient Homes: Easy Steps to Improving Your Home's Energy Efficiency
• Consumer Energy Center: Refrigerators and Freezers

Resources

• "Toward a Zero Energy Home"; David Johnson and Scott Gibson; 2010
• "Basics of Energy Efficient Living"; Lonnie Wibberding; 2010