refrigerator

Energy Savings Tips for Your Refrigerator

August 18, 2020 By Kathryn Vercillo Leave a Comment

The more energy that you can save around the home the better. Reducing energy waste at home reduces energy bills which saves you money. Moreover, it’s good for the planet. Therefore, we wanted to share our best refrigerator energy savings tips with you today. Here they are:

1. Set the Correct Temperature

Many people mistakenly think that they should set the refrigerator to the coolest possible temperature. While you certainly want to keep the air in there cool, you don’t need to set it as low as it goes in order to keep your food fresh. In fact, it’s best for your food and your wallet if you know and utilize the correct refrigerator temperature settings.

Generally speaking, your refrigerator should be set between 36 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. If your refrigerator is currently set at 40 degrees, then try setting it to 36. You might be surprised to discover that it significantly reduces energy waste in the home. The freezer has to be cooler of course; it should be set between 0 and 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Let Hot Foods Cool Before They Go In The Fridge

I know that I’ve been guilty of this one. I order takeout. When I do, I portion out what I want and immediately put the rest of it away in the fridge. However, when you put hot food directly into the refrigerator, it makes the machine have to work harder to cool it all down. Therefore, you’re wasting energy. Instead, allow the food to cool on the counter first. When it’s room temperature, you can put it into the refrigerator.

Also, when you do put food away, make sure that you’ve properly covered it. Otherwise, the food will release moisture into the refrigerator. This, too, can make the refrigerator less efficient.

3. Cool the Fridge with Food from the Freezer

As you can see, many of the best refrigerator energy savings tips are about how to keep the refrigerator cool. It makes sense; the less the appliance has to work, the more energy you save using it. Here’s one more tip in that vein: thaw your frozen foods in the refrigerator.

Many people take frozen food directly out of the freezer and leave it out on the counter all day to thaw. If you plan ahead, you can let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator instead. This cools off the appliance so that it doesn’t have to do so much energy-wasting work.

4. Look Around the Refrigerator

Heat doesn’t just affect the refrigerator from the inside; it also causes problems when it’s hot around the refrigerator. Therefore, it’s important to look around and make sure that there’s enough space to allow the refrigerator to work efficiently.

First of all, make certain that you have at lest two inches of space around every side of the refrigerator. This provides proper heat-releasing space as well as circulation around the machine. That means the refrigerator can maximize its own efficiency.

Moreover, check that other heat sources aren’t too close to your refrigerator. For example, how close is your oven to your refrigerator? The further apart you’re able to move them, the better. Similarly, check lighting; does your refrigerator receive a lot of direct sunlight? If so then you might want to use drapes to reduce the amount of heat warming up the fridge from the outside each day.

5. But Stop Looking IN The Refrigerator

Every time that you open and close the refrigerator door, you make that machine work harder. This has become a particular problem since the COVID-19 pandemic means that more people are home all day. You get bored, restless, and just a tiny bit hungry and you go get a snack. Perhaps you stand in front of the refrigerator with the door open, trying to decide what you want. You don’t want anything and you’re wasting energy each time that you do this.

Set rules in your house for how often you open the fridge. If this is one of those refrigerator energy savings tips that annoys your family members, make it a game. Whoever opens it least during the day wins, for example. Plan out all snacks and meals in advance. This is good for your diet and your food budget and it means you’re using the refrigerator more efficiently.

6. Turn Off the Extras

Many modern refrigerators have a lot of fun features. Unfortunately, some of these aren’t necessary and end up wasting energy. You can usually switch them off, saving yourself some money on the electric bill each month. Check to see if you can turn these things off on your refrigerator:

Anti-sweat capabilities. If it’s very, very hot and humid then this can help prevent moisture from forming on the outside of your refrigerator door. However, most people don’t need or use this. Turn it off to save more than five percent of the machine’s energy.
Butter conditioner. Sure, it’s nice that this little heater inside of some refrigerators makes your butter soft. However, you’re spending extra energy (and money) to run that. Place the butter in a dish on the counter to soften it instead.

7. Reduce Your Refrigeration Needs

Hopefully, you only have one refrigerator. However, many people keep more than one in the house. Some homes have two small ones. It’s almost always more energy-efficient to have one large one. Even better: reduce your grocery purchases down so that you only need one small one!

Some homes have an extra old refrigerator or freezer in the garage for stockpiling. It might feel like you’re saving money by purchasing food in bulk. However, remember that you’re paying to operate that extra refrigerator. You could easily spend $100 or more per year running that extra fridge. Do you really need it?

In addition to reducing to a smaller refrigerator, pay attention to how much food you put in the refrigerator that you do have. Refrigerators work most efficiently when there is a lot of space for air to circulate around the food. Therefore, you don’t want to overpack the fridge. In contrast, freezers work best when they are full. Therefore, freeze as much as you can and simply thaw it out in the refrigerator as needed.

8. Refrigerator Energy Savings Tips: Cleaning and Maintenance

Keep you refrigerator in good working order to maximize its energy efficiency. Some of the things that you should do regularly include:

If you have a manual-defrost appliance then make sure to run that regularly. There shouldn’t be more than 1/4″ of frost buildup in either the refrigerator or the freezer.
Clean the refrigerator condenser coils. You should do this twice per year to keep the machine running as efficiently as possible.
Check annually that the refrigerator door seals properly. If it doesn’t, make sure to repair it. If the refrigerator is leaking air, then it’s not working well.

9. Buying a New Refrigerator

At some point in your life, you’re going to need to buy a new refrigerator. Making a smart choice at that time will allow you to maximize energy savings for years to come. Look for an Energy Star refrigerator. Choose the smallest size that you truly need. Skip the frills (such as the ice maker). Shop around with an eye towards long-term value, not just immediate price.

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How Long Can You Keep Leftovers in the Refrigerator?

May 18, 2018 By Jackie Cohen Leave a Comment

When you put leftovers in the refrigerator, you probably don’t consider how long they’ll remain edible — maybe you eat them in time or you discover that they’ve gone bad.

That pattern may change after you read the following guide to the length of time that different foods can stay fresh in the ‘fridge — based on Food and Drug Administration recommendations.

Life of Leftovers in the Refrigerator

Bacon: one week

Barbecue Sauce (opened): four months

Butter: one to two months

Cheese (soft): one to two weeks; (shredded): one month; (hard, opened): up to six months

Chili, Cocktail or Hot Sauce (opened): six months

Chicken (cooked): three to four days; (fried) three to four days

Eggs (cooked): three to four days; (fresh): three to five days

Fish (smoked): two weeks

Gravy or Meat Broth: one to two days

Egg Salad: three to five days

Ground Turkey: one to two days

Guacamole: three to four days

Ham (cooked, whole): one week; (half or sliced): three to five days

Hamburger (raw): one to two days

Hot Dogs (opened): one week; (unopened): two weeks

Hot Sauce (opened container): about six months

Fruit Punch or Juice (in a carton or bottle): seven to 12 days

Ketchup (opened): six months

Lamb: one to two days

Lemon or Lime Juice: two months

Lunch Meat (opened): three to five days; (unopened): two weeks

Macaroni Salad: three to five days

Mayonnaise (opened): two months if opened

Meat (cooked): three to four days

Milk: seven to 10 days

Mustard (opened): one year

Pasta (cooked): three to five days

Pork: one to two days

Potatoes or Rice (cooked): three to four days

Pickles (opened): one to three months

Pizza: three to four days

Roasts: three to five days

Salsa (opened): one month

Sausage (raw): one to two days; (smoked): one week

Seafood (cooked): one to two days

Shrimp, Scallops or Squid (fresh): two weeks

Soup: three to four days

Soy or Teriyaki Sauce (opened): one month

Spaghetti Sauce (opened): four days

Steak: three to five days

Store-Cooked Meals: three to four days

Turkey (cooked): one to two days

Veal: one to two days

Vegetables (cooked): three to four days

Wine (opened): one to three days

Yogurt: one week

You might consider the durations listed above to be rough averages — if the temperature of your refrigerator is set colder then you might be able to keep things slightly longer, for instance. And speaking of which, you can freeze items for a lot longer.

Readers, how much of your refrigerator space is taken up by leftovers?

National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day & 10 Ways To Save Money With Your Refrigerator

November 14, 2012 By Danielle Warchol 2 Comments

While I am sure that you were already well aware that November 15 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day (how could anyone not know this?), there are a number of steps that you can take to save money while cleaning out your fridge — and really, it probably is about time that you did clean out your fridge. And before you say that it’s a ridiculous day, don’t forget that Thanksgiving is just around the corner and you are going to need all the extra room you can find in your refrigerator to store all those leftovers. So while you sort through all that has accumulated inside the cool walls of your unit, take the time to also contemplate these things which can help you save money with your refrigerator in the future:

Buy an Energy Star Model

Energy Star is recommended label attached to appliances that have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and The Department of Energy. Energy Star models are designed to be efficient, environmentally friendly, and cost effective. These refrigerator brands are also guaranteed to use at least 20% less energy than a non-Energy Star brand. This means that you could be saving from $80 to $100 a year on your energy bill. The next time you’re considering buying a new refrigerator, look for the Energy Star label.

Make Sure the Seal is Tight

The doors to your refrigerator should be tightly sealed at all times. This doesn’t mean a seal that fits well along most of the door, but is slightly loose in some places. If you can fit a dollar bill through the refrigerator door while it’s closed, then you need to replace your seal. A loose seal means the refrigerator has to work harder to keep everything cool, therefore using more energy and costing you more money.

Don’t Store Hot Food

It’s convenient to package food for the fridge immediately after you make it, right? After all, you’re already in the kitchen, so why not prepare the leftovers and stick it in the refrigerator for later. Except, sticking hot food in the fridge is a bad idea. It makes the refrigerator work overtime to cool down the food, which again causes more energy to be used. So, before you pack away food into the refrigerator, let it cool down on the stovetop or counter first.

Don’t Place Near Direct Heat

If you have a small kitchen, you might not have many great locations for your refrigerator. Regardless of your kitchen size, you should try to place your refrigerator in a good space. This means not placing it next to an oven or in direct sunlight. Either of these locations will cause the refrigerator to work harder to keep itself cool, which will wear out its compressor.

Don’t Place in an Unheated Space

While placing your refrigerator in direct sunlight or near an oven is a bad idea, placing it in an unheated place such as a garage or back porch is also a bad idea. You don’t want to temperature to drop below 60° since the fridge will once again work harder to keep itself at a level temperature. Additionally, as with storing near direct heat, the compressor may stop working. So where should you store your refrigerator? Preferably in the shaded area of a room that has a moderate temperature.

Don’t Store Fruit Together

The way you store the food in your fridge can also either save or lose you money. For instance, some food will go bad more quickly depending on how you store it. Did you know that if you store fruit in the same drawer or area, it has a tendency to rot faster? Fruit that happens to be stored together ripens faster than if it’s stored alone. If you don’t eat fruit that quickly, you’re going to end up with a lot of bad fruit. Store fruit in different compartments or in containers to save yourself a little money.

Defrost Regularly

One of the best things you can do for your refrigerator is to defrost it regularly. The more frost you have in your fridge and freezer, the more energy the fridge uses. If you have more than a quarter-inch of frost on your fridge, it’s time to defrost.

Don’t Buy Extra Features

Many retailers are trying to sell extra features on refrigerators. There are retailers claiming that their new refrigerator models have special air fresheners to keep food fresh or special temperature gauges to choose and moderate the temperature inside the fridge or freezer. Or they’ll have a special filter system for ice or water. Almost all of these features are useless and an attempt on the retailer’s part to get you to pay more money for something you don’t actually need.

Clean the Unit

Does your refrigerator get incredibly dirty after a few months? If the shelves and drawers inside your fridge are always dirty, then think about what it looks like underneath your fridge. You should clean your refrigerator at least twice a year. Dust, hair, food, and other debris are easily caught up in the coils and motor, potentially causing the unit to run slowly. You should unplug the fridge and clean the condenser coils, motor, and evaporator pan frequently in order to ensure that the refrigerator is running efficiently.

Don’t Overcrowd

The more food you have in the refrigerator, the more the unit works to cool down everything. Additionally, the more items crowded into your fridge means less air circulation. In order to save energy and cause the best air circulation, don’t overcrowd your fridge with food.

(Photo courtesy of xJason.Rogersx)

Sometimes It’s So Simple

August 3, 2011 By Jennifer Derrick 2 Comments

My neighbor’s refrigerator died a couple of weeks ago. It was running, but hardly putting out any cold air. Since it was in the middle of a heat wave, she felt that she had little choice but to just go get a new one. So she went out and spent $2,000 on a new fridge.

I don’t blame her, in a way for choosing to replace over calling a repairman. Very often the cost of a repair can equal or exceed the cost of a new appliance by the time you factor in parts and labor. At that point, it becomes a personal choice whether to repair or replace. Where I do think she went wrong, though, is in not attempting to even find out what the problem was and fix it herself.

A couple of weeks after having the new fridge delivered and the old one moved to the garage until it could be recycled, a friend who knows a little something about appliances happened to be visiting and took a look at it. It turned out that what it needed was a good cleaning. The entire back of the unit was caked with dust and the fan was so clogged that it was hardly turning. After he cleaned it out it functioned normally, so the friend took it home to his place. He got a free fridge for nothing more than running a vacuum cleaner attachment over the coils and fan. Sometimes the problem is very simple to fix.

Cleaning the back of the unit might not be something that would occur to the appliance novice, but in this day of readily available information via the Internet, there’s no reason not to at least Google your problem and see if there are any easy fixes that you can try. When my washer started having problems, I Googled the symptoms and found out that the problem was likely a faulty knob. I bought a replacement knob, installed it and the problem was solved for less than $20.

I’ve had the same thing happen with cars (a simple rubber gasket fixed a problem that the mechanic wanted to charge $400 to fix), other appliances, and many other objects. Many times the problem isn’t that difficult or expensive to repair. It just requires a willingness to get your hands dirty and a simple replacement part or cleaning task.

If you don’t know what to search for on the Internet or you’re getting conflicting answers, you can try a home or appliance repair store. Ask some of the employees in the relevant department if they have any ideas. Sometimes they are clueless, but some of them know what they’re doing and can give you some ideas or parts to try.

Another good source of information is the manual that came with the appliance. Most have a “Troubleshooting” section that describes the most common problems. If you’ve lost the original, you can generally download the book from the manufacturers’ website or read their support information online.

Of course, if you really want to buy a replacement appliance or car, a malfunction can be the perfect excuse to go out and get a new one. But if you’re interested in saving money, it’s best to try and find a simple fix, first. If the unit is already broken, you can’t make things much worse so you might as well try a little DIY repair. You might be surprised to find that all you need to do is clean it, glue a dislodged part back on, or make some other very simple repair. Take a minute to research the problem and see if there is a simple fix before you shell out the big bucks on a replacement.