Do you have an older refrigerator? Read this.

[disneysteve]

I spoke to my cousin earlier. Last month, his 20-year-old refrigerator died and he had to replace it. He told me that he just got his electric bill and he was shocked. He didn't go looking for a super efficient fridge. He just got a pretty basic model - cost him $430. He lives alone in a 2-bedroom apartment. He said his electric bill is always between $55 and $60. Last month, the first full month with the new fridge, his bill was $27. Half, or less, than his prior bills. So he is saving about $30/month, meaning the new fridge will pay for itself in just over 14 months.

Our fridge is over 13 years old and our freezer is over 15 years old. We could probably save at least $60/month if we replaced them both (our fridge is bigger than his). Plus, both of our appliances still work just fine, so we could probably even get something for them on craigslist. I hate to lay out the money, but if we'll recoup the cost in just over a year, it makes a lot of sense. Something to think about.

[MonkeyMama]

WOW!

We used to buy only very used appliances, but we bought a new house and came with most the appliances. Bought a new fridge and then a new washer/dryer a few years later. We noticed a marked difference in our bill when we got the new washer/dryer. (The old ones were about 30 years + old).

As such, I mentioned before, people usually assume with a big house and people home all day that we must have really huge bills. I would say not the case at all. I figured it had a lot to do with having all new appliances and newer materials in the house, etc. All CFL lights around the house, etc. Our average electric bill is about $50. Often only $20, though we get a couple of high bills in the summer with the a/c. Our gas is on average $30. We get a lot of $10 bills in the summer. But our balanced billing for now is $30/$50.

We cook every meal at home and wash diapers almost every day. Keep it 68 in winter/78 in summer. KEep the hot water very comfortable. So not bad. New stuff does go a long way to keeping down energy bills. Whether it be fridge, washer, dryer, stove, water heater, CFLs, etc. IT all adds up.

I'd say cutting the bill in 1/2 with a new fridge is pretty impressive though!

[disneysteve]

I've always heard that it generally pays to replace a fridge that is more than 10 years old. It is the biggest energy hog in the house. Think about it. It is the only appliance that is always on 24/7.

[Ralph]

I was just thinking about that as I was cleaning our 20 year old fridge today. On This Old House, they plugged a power meter in to a new one and an old one and estimated enough savings to pay off in a year or two. But I have another factor, that I don't trust that new appliances are as reliable as the old battleships. I know replacement is the right thing to do, but my furnace and roof are in the same situation. But for those in better shape, it sure seems like the thing to do.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Ralph

But I have another factor, that I don't trust that new appliances are as reliable as the old battleships.

And you are most probably correct, but that doesn't overcome the cost savings. To use my cousin's case again, let's be pessimistic and say the new $430 fridge lasts only 10 years. At current electricity rates, he's saving about $30/month. The unit will have paid for itself in 14 months. Then he'll continue saving $30/month for the remaining 106 months. That's a savings of $3,180!!. Even if the thing dies after 7 years, he'll still save $2,100. Tough to argue with that.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

It makes a huge difference. My parents had 3 old fridges. One died, so my mom decide to replace it. Her bill dropped nearly $50/month because she decided to buy a super efficient one. Also when she changed washer/dryer it saved nearly $100 because she got the front loaders. So it used less water.

[Broken Arrow]

Well, ok, that made me a believer. That and a kill-a-watt.

[simpleyme]

the thing I noticed when i got my new fridge a few years ago ,the first brand new one I ever had is my food lasts longer my milk is colder my veggies last longer, without the consideration of the electricity saved my fridge has paid for itself by keeping my food so well

it is time for me to get rid of my dryer when i first bought it it took just a little longer to dry than it did to wash, now it takes 3 times as long to dry , I did not notice this but DH did the laundry the other day and complained about it, it had happened do slowly over the past 10 years I had not noticed

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by simpleyme

the thing I noticed when i got my new fridge a few years ago ,the first brand new one I ever had is my food lasts longer my milk is colder my veggies last longer, without the consideration of the electricity saved my fridge has paid for itself by keeping my food so well

it is time for me to get rid of my dryer when i first bought it it took just a little longer to dry than it did to wash, now it takes 3 times as long to dry , I did not notice this but DH did the laundry the other day and complained about it, it had happened do slowly over the past 10 years I had not noticed

A couple of things with the old fridge: The rubber stripping around the door tends to dry out over time and not seal as well which could be part of why it didn't keep foods fresh as long. The other thing is dust can build up on the coils on the back which impacts cooling. They need to be vacuumed off periodically.

As for the dryer, having the duct cleaned can sometimes help. Lint builds up in there and blocks airflow, which slows drying time and, more importantly, is a fire hazard.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

Are you sure it is the dryer at fault? Could it be that your washer is no longer spinning out as well, meaning the clothes are going to the dryer wetter than they used to? Double check those washer settings, too. The delicate cycle does not spin out as hard.

[simpleyme]

hmm I may have to look closer at the washer and dryer issue I only do 2 -3 loads of laundry on Sundays so I just pay no attention

it is lent free back there as DH blows it out with air regularly

[momof1in150]

We have an old refigerator in our utility room that we use for parties and to hold drinks. I am wondering if it would make sense just to get a small refrigerator for drinks and get rid of the old inefficient one?

[rob62521]

We replaced our washer and dryer last year (they were 16+ years old) and I have noticed a difference in both power and water bills. We bought a front loader washer and it's amazing -- it no longer takes two hours to dry a typical load of laundry with the new dryer. I was like simplyme...I had gotten used to how long it took things to dry, I never thought about it. I did run the wash through the spin cycle extra to try and allievate the extra dry time, but it didn't help much.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by momof1in150

We have an old refigerator in our utility room that we use for parties and to hold drinks. I am wondering if it would make sense just to get a small refrigerator for drinks and get rid of the old inefficient one?

Do you only plug it in when you are having a party or do you keep it going all the time? If you only plug it in when needed, it probably isn't a big deal. If, however, it runs all the time, it is worth replacing.

[herm4]

We have an old refrigerator that we keep in the garage for use only when we have party's or during the Holidays. I think....it costs us about $3 a day to run it. ( an electrician friend gave me that info, don't know how accurate it is)

[aurielle]

We just replaced our refrigerator a couple of months ago because it was dying. The old one was given to us free, I don't know exactly how old it is but I would guess at least 15 years old. Our power bill went down by about $20/month. And we bought just a basic low-end model.

[jasanderson]

Originally Posted by momof1in150

We have an old refigerator in our utility room that we use for parties and to hold drinks. I am wondering if it would make sense just to get a small refrigerator for drinks and get rid of the old inefficient one?

How often do you have parties? Could you just unplug it until you need it? We have a small one in our garage which doesn't hold much more than a case of beer or maybe two. The nice thing about a bigger fridge is if you are cooking at holidays you have extra space to store stuff.

[momof1in150]

It is plugged in all the time for drinks. I think we are going to buy a small one for drinks and unplug this one and only use it for parties. I like keeping soda and other drinks in the basement refrigerator because they are out of sight/out of mind.

[asmom]

That's very interesting. I'll pass this along to my Dad, the fridge in his house is at least 25 years old.

[krayziebone33]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I spoke to my cousin earlier. Last month, his 20-year-old refrigerator died and he had to replace it. He told me that he just got his electric bill and he was shocked. He didn't go looking for a super efficient fridge. He just got a pretty basic model - cost him $430. He lives alone in a 2-bedroom apartment. He said his electric bill is always between $55 and $60. Last month, the first full month with the new fridge, his bill was $27. Half, or less, than his prior bills. So he is saving about $30/month, meaning the new fridge will pay for itself in just over 14 months.

Our fridge is over 13 years old and our freezer is over 15 years old. We could probably save at least $60/month if we replaced them both (our fridge is bigger than his). Plus, both of our appliances still work just fine, so we could probably even get something for them on craigslist. I hate to lay out the money, but if we'll recoup the cost in just over a year, it makes a lot of sense. Something to think about.

Yup, Disneysteve. Newer appliances can DRASTICALLY reduce your electric bills. The more you ask questions like this, the more you will realize how important it is to keep newer appliances. I'm trying to convince my mother to get rid of the 21-year-old fridge that she has in our kitchen. Beside the obvious money-saving benefits of getting rid of the fridge, the door barely opens and closes and the freezer is very small (I never realized just how small it really is growing up). She probably will ignore me (a common practice) and continue to use it, yet complain about how high the bills are. Oh well. You can lead a horse to water but . . .