Hot 'n Cold - Part 1

Is it possible to be in love with an appliance? I've always had a thing for my fridge. In 2003, I put as much thought into the purchase of a new fridge, as most countries would give to their foreign trade policies, and today it remains one of the very few 'new' things I own (in that it was something I bought new) but  it uses half of all the electricity I use in my house on a daily basis! I thought I'd share some info about fridges because apart from hot water systems, they are one of the major culprits on Queensland household bills.



Most people tell me they've become 'Light Nazis' (my term, not theirs) in their quest to become a more energy-efficient household. This is great of course, but unless a house is chock-a-block full of halogen down lights, it's probably not the lighting that's wracking up the power bills.  The first thing to check is anything that heats or cools - fridges, ovens, water heating, heaters, air conditioners etc. (Even hairdryers, toasters and kettles have fairly hefty electrical usage, but we usually don't have them on for long enough to be much of a problem.)


I'll get to some of the other things in other Hot 'n Cold blogs, but first fridges...what IS it with Queenslanders and fridges?  We collect them like family heirlooms. 


More often than not, I'll do an assessment on a house with two or more of them - one's usually the 'old' fridge that was replaced, and now sits out in a hot shed, chugging away to keep a six pack cold.  I've even visited more than one two-person house with 4-5 assorted fridges and freezers! It's like they are some sort of accessory that we have for various occasions (think Rose Hancock and shoes)


If any of these apply, it might be time to think about sending your old faithful/s to the big appliance store in the sky or using them as a shed cupboard instead - they could be costing you $100's each year in electricity:

• Was it manufactured in or before the mid 90's? (if so, it's likely to be 3-4x less efficient than today's models)
• Are the seals gone? (in which case replacing the seals might be a better option than retirement) You should be able to close a $5 note in the door and meet some resistance pulling it out, if the seals are doing their job.
• Do you notice the motor cutting in and out fairly often or noisily?
• Are both compartments set at mid-range temperatures? Is it in a warm location or tightly enclosed by cupboards etc, that make it warmer around the unit? (Again, easy to change)

Star Ratings:
In 2003, my fridge was rated 4 stars. It was one of the few models made in Australia and I bought a st steel finish thinking it would be easier to recycle when it eventually went to fridge heaven. It was quite a bit bigger than I needed for day-to-day use, but I like to make all my own stocks and sauces for cooking, and I use a lot of spices and pastes that need to be kept cold, so I figured being able to prepare and freeze produce from the garden was better environmentally, than buying it from a shop - especially if I could provide my own power to run it.  And, being new, this thing was going to the grave with me so it had to cope with either 1 or 6 people in my home.


Just last week I noticed on the energy rating website that my model had slipped down to 2 stars, (all ratings are periodically revised as technology improves) so I decided to put it on my power meter for 24 hours and see how it was actually doing at the ripe old age of seven.


These days, the more efficient 'mid-size' 2 door fridge/freezers use about 340-400ish  kWh/year in electricity (or about 1 kWh / day) and I think most average size households should be able to get away with about 1 - 1.5 kWh/day for combined fridge/freezer needs (even if part of a bulk buying group or have a lot of produce from the garden).   But my beloved Westinghouse was listed as using about 675 kWh/yr (or 1.8 kWh /day). No way!.... Really?


I did two readings (once with Dad here, who frequently got lost in the fridge with the door open) and then last week when I was here on my own and using it normally.  It made about .2 kWh / day difference - on average it worked out at 1.5 kWh/day (about 578 kWh/year or $108).  That was a fair bit less than what it's 'star rating' indicated, but it's still a lot, when you consider my total daily electricity use is only 3.7 kWh /day.


(Note: I've measured a few old fridges that are costing up to $300/year to run and a couple of other home assessors have apparently found ones that cost $500/year ... each!)


I know a few people who've done what local guy, Mike, did a while ago and retrofitted a chest freezer to be a highly-efficient fridge. (I think it's a perfect solution for people who mostly eat fresh out of the garden, or anyone who can't imagine life without a beer fridge)  I did consider (briefly) selling mine to a family and making something like this instead, but if I'd have to buy another freezer unit to store surplus in, I'd only be about .5 kWh/day better off than what I'm using now. And I really really see that somewhere in my future I'll be cooking and providing for quite a few people in my little house. So it stays.


I figure the best thing to do, is to keep my 'new' fridge in good working order, in a cool part of the kitchen, speak nicely to it and hopefully we'll be together until one of us dies. If it goes before I do (which I hope would be the case) I'd never buy new again. I'd check out the best model/s around then find a second-hand one on Gumtree or even Freecycle (if the planets were aligning!)


You can get an idea of what your fridge/freezer is costing you at the energy rating website but keep in mind that it will vary according to it's location and condition....and how often you plan your dinner menu with the door open.  And if you have a suspect beer fridge (an ockey strap holding the door closed is a good indicator) think about the retrofit idea - $300 a year is a lot of beer or food money!