Is Your Refrigerator Green?

[Dr. Shane]

As the good stewerts of the earth that us Adventists are, I thought we may be interested in the old ice box.

Did you know the older your refrigerator is, the more energy it uses?

Side by side units use about 12% more power than units with the freezer on top.

Automatic icemakers increase power usage by 14% - 20%.

Through-the-door dispensers for water and ice increase power use by 10%.

Lack of space around (specifically above) the refrigerator makes the compressor work harder and use more power. At least two inches is needed all around. The refrigerator shouldn't be placed next to other hot appliances (stove, water cooler, dishwasher)

Self-defrost units can use as much as 50% more power than manual defrosting. No more than a 1/4" (1 cm) of frost should be allowed to build up in units that are not self-defrosting.

Uncovered food release moisture which makes the compressor work harder.

Units with butter conditioners increase power usage since it is a little heater inside the unit.

[phkrause]

also use less energy i believe with the frezer on the bottom!

pkrause

[cricket]

I love the freezer on the bottom! It is so much more efficient for me to have the "main" refrigeration unit on top. Saves a lot of backache.

[Parade Orange]

I am depressed.

My fridge sucks and its not green.

maybe If i just buy can foods

[Kountzer]

Do they still make refrigerators that manually defrost?

[Dr. Shane]

Refrigerator FAQs

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What are the tradeoffs between "self defrost" and "manual defrost" models?

Self-defrosting models save you the time and hassle of manually defrosting your freezer. Generally speaking, frozen food items retain their "freshness" longer in manual defrost freezers. Self-defrosting models consume more energy, costing you more money to operate.

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[Dottie]

Our refrigerator has an icemaker, bacause my SO (husband) wanted one. We rarely use it; I keep it turned off most of the time, I think it takes up too much room.

Next time, we're getting a freezer on the bottom, I'm tired of sitting on the floor to find out what's on the bottom shelf. My bottom is getting too old for that!

[Dr. Shane]

Manuel defrost refrigerators are small. I think the biggest that is available in the US is 9 CF. However there are frostfree refrigerators that are "smart" and their defrostere doesn't turn on unless there is frost detected on the coil. The reason a refrigerators is self-defrosting or frostfree is because it has a heater inside of it to melt off any frost that forms on the coil. So it is obviously going to be less efficient.

[Dr. Shane]

There is an obvious reason that refrigerators with the freezer on top are more efficent. Cold air settles down; hot air rises. So when the freezer is on top it actually helps to cool the refrigerator. If the freeze is on the side or underneath, the cold air settles down on the floor.

[cricket]

Ah, but with the freezer on the bottom, there are less trips to the refrigerator when something is needed. Everything is at eye-level and can quickly be found--hence, less time with the refrigerator door open; more time sealing in the cold!

[olger]

I wish we had a three-phase fridge that uses real power <img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />.

[Dr. Shane]

A three-phase refrigerator? Wow! I have never heard of such a thing. Most homes don't even have three-phase power and some areas don't even have it available. I built an apartment building in the suberbs of Houston a few years back and we had to pay the power company extra to bring in three-phase for the elevator.

[fifiqueen]

What's three-phase?

My fridge freezer is rated A which is the most energy efficient grading you can get in the UK.

so please let me know what is three-phase!

[olger]

Three-phase is rough-n-tough industial-strength, super-duty, toe-curlin, hair-fryin, eye-popping, meter-spinnin high-power power. (It's the good stuff).

gcw

[Dr. Shane]

Here is Wikipedia's difinition. Three-phase electric power

Basic single-phase power has two wires: one is hot and the other is nuetral. Three phase power has three wires that are all hot. Many electric transformers in residencial areas break the three-phase power down from the electric grid to single phase power for use in homes.

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My fridge freezer is rated A which is the most energy efficient grading you can get in the UK.

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In the US refridgerators are rated in categories. So a side by side unit may claim to be the most efficient BUT it is only considered most efficient in comparison to other side by side units. Same is true if it has a through-door dispensor or an automatic ice maker. A unit with a throug-door dispensor is not compared to a unit without one. So the manufacturer may claim their side by side unit is the most efficient when in fact another unit with the freezer on top is 25% more efficient.

[aldona]

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olger said:

Three-phase is rough-n-tough industial-strength, super-duty, toe-curlin, hair-fryin, eye-popping, meter-spinnin high-power power. (It's the good stuff).

gcw

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Praising the virtues of three-phase power in a thread devoted to energy-efficient and power-saving refrigerators...

Isn't that a bit like boasting about how much "juice" your SUV chews up in a forum on fuel-efficient cars? <img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

aldona

[Dr. Shane]

Actually appliances that run on high voltage are more efficient than those that run on lower voltage. Most commercial light fixtures in the US run on 277 volts unlike those in homes that run on 110 volts. That is done so that the stores, shopping malls, schools, factories, etc. can save $$$ on their electric bill.

[Gerr]

Our Subzero built-in is 21 yo now. Best rated in its time. I don't know how it would rate now, but it does have side-by-side freezer, ice maker, & automatic defroster.

Recently had to replace the icemaker because we were trying to sell the house. I asked the repairman and he still rates Subzero the best.

Gerry

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

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CoAspen said:

I believe GREEN was a 70's color!

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<img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> -- that's what I thought of too! Avocado green, bright orange and, and turquoise blue! My folks had the awful Avocado green appliances. Bleah!!!

(Hope they can fix your fridge quickly!)

[Amelia]

My parents had and my dad still has the burnt orange refer that I grew up with.

[Aliensanctuary]

My most recent electric and gas bill was $53. That's running lights, dryer, fridge, and computer. The electric component was $34. No more kids at home. $$$$$$$$$$ The fridge is just a few years old, though. White.

[olger]

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Shane said:

Actually appliances that run on high voltage are more efficient than those that run on lower voltage. Most commercial light fixtures in the US run on 277 volts unlike those in homes that run on 110 volts. That is done so that the stores, shopping malls, schools, factories, etc. can save $$$ on their electric bill.

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yep!