Your Energy Efficient Refrigerator

Having an energy efficient refrigerator is easy to achieve. Refrigerators are expensive and it is beyond the means of most of us to simply replace our current one with a newer model sporting more energy efficiency stars.

Luckily there are two simple steps we can take to make sure that our current refrigerator is as energy efficient as possible. These steps will cost you little or no money and will provide you with some saving on your electricity bill.

1. Keep it full.

The first and easiest step is to ensure that the refrigerator is as full as possible. This initially seems counter-intuitive. However, every time the refrigerator is opened all the cold air in it falls out of it towards the floor and it is replaced with warmer air from the room.

This means that the temperature inside the refrigerator rises sharply and it has to work extra hard to cool the new air. You will have heard the refrigerator start humming after you have opened it; this is the reason why.

For every cold, space occupying object in the refrigerator there is less cold air to be lost when the door is opened. So putting the potatos in the fridge rather than in the cupboard will help reduce the energy cost of running the machine. The same goes for fruit, drinks and so on. While these objects take a while to be cooled, this is easily offset by the energy you save by not losing extra cool air each time the door is opened. Even if you do not regularly drink cold water, placing full bottles of water inside the refrigerator when there is spare space will lighten the load on your electricity bill.

2. Keep the seals in good condition.

Regular cleaning of the seals around the door and the surface they come into contact with when the door is closed will make sure that as little cold air is escaping as possible. One tiny leak can create a lot more work for the refrigerator, and will also add to your power bill.

These steps won't turn your old appliance into a five star energy efficient refrigerator, but they will ensure you are getting the best efficiency out of the machine as possible. This will also help your current refrigerator last as long as possible.