Just bought a refrigerator!

[disneysteve]

I mentioned in another thread that we were shopping for a new fridge. We went to a total of 6 stores before finding one we liked, would fit in our kitchen, and wasn't horrendously expensive (the amount a lot of people apparently spend on their refrigerators is mind-boggling).

We ended up buying one from Lowe's. It was $1,299 on sale 10% off, so $1,169. I went to cardpool.com and bought $1,168.25 worth of Lowe's gift cards at an 8% discount so I saved another $93.47 by doing that. Delivery is free.

What I'm really looking forward to, other than the shiny new fridge, is seeing how our electric bill drops once we replace our 20-year-old unit. Hopefully, we will see a nice noticeable drop that will cover the cost of the purchase over the next 2 or 3 years.

[snafu]

DS, what brand did you choose? Does your municipality offer a rebate for buying an energy efficient unit? How do you handle disposing of your current fridge? We found it cost effective to pay the guys who delivered our new fridge to take the existing unit to the special section of the dump plus the sum charged in that 'special' section because as I understand it, they drain the freon.

Will you track the KWH for a couple of months to track the difference in output?

[disneysteve]

DS, what brand did you choose? Does your municipality offer a rebate for buying an energy efficient unit?

Will you track the KWH for a couple of months to track the difference in output?

We got a Whirlpool.

Our local utility does offer a $50 rebate but I'm not sure if we're going to bother. It means getting the delivery guys to move the old one into our garage and then my wife having to schedule another time for that to get picked up. Seems like a lot of hassle for $50 when we could just have the delivery guys haul away the old one. Not sure yet which we'll end up doing.

[greenskeeper]

I'd guess about $5/month savings if you can find it on your bill (too many variables in electric use to pin a "savings" to the new refrigerator)

[corn18]

Before the old fridge goes away, plug it into one of these (while it is running):

http://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

Then plug the new one into it and see what the difference in power usage is. Compare the two and that will at least give you an idea of percent savings, but not absolute savings.

[LittleMissSplendid]

We got a Whirlpool.

Our local utility does offer a $50 rebate but I'm not sure if we're going to bother. It means getting the delivery guys to move the old one into our garage and then my wife having to schedule another time for that to get picked up. Seems like a lot of hassle for $50 when we could just have the delivery guys haul away the old one. Not sure yet which we'll end up doing.

I wonder if you could still get the rebate if you showed the utility company proof of purchase on the new fridge and proper disposal of the old fridge? $50 is a decent chunk of change that could be put to good use.

[Green43]

Congrats Steve! I have done the $50 pickup twice and while yes, it is a hassle (btw it must be running when they pick it up) I did enjoy the extra money. Your call though of course. Again congrats on the fridge hope it helps the ol' power bill a bunch.

[greenskeeper]

Before the old fridge goes away, plug it into one of these (while it is running):

http://www.amazon.com/P3-P4400-Electricity-Usage-Monitor/dp/B00009MDBU

Then plug the new one into it and see what the difference in power usage is. Compare the two and that will at least give you an idea of percent savings, but not absolute savings.

The compressor will probably be a bit more efficient but the big savings will be from better insulating properties of the new fridge (both in design and newer seals, etc).

Still it's not going to be a significant amount.

[snafu]

If municipal pick up is scheduled and free, I suggest having the delivery guys leave the old fridge easily accessible at the edge of the driveway so pick up is arranged with a phone call, no one needs to wait at home. Paperwork can be left in the mail box.

[disneysteve]

Still it's not going to be a significant amount.

My cousin lived in a duplex apartment. He replaced a 20+ year old fridge a few years ago. His electric bill dropped in half. Those old fridges sucked up power horribly. I don't expect our drop to be that dramatic since we have a full house with lots of other stuff but the fridge is the oldest appliance other than the oven but the fridge runs 24/7.

[corn18]

The compressor will probably be a bit more efficient but the big savings will be from better insulating properties of the new fridge (both in design and newer seals, etc).

Still it's not going to be a significant amount.

If you leave it plugged in for a couple of days, that meter will do the math for you:

Electricity usage monitor connects to appliances and assesses efficiency
Large LCD display counts consumption by the kilowatt-hour
Calculates electricity expenses by the day, week, month, or year
Displays volts, amps, and wattage within 0.2 percent accuracy
Compatible with inverters; designed for use with AC 115-volt appliances
Large Lcd Counts Consumption By The Kilowatt Hour

[greenskeeper]

My cousin lived in a duplex apartment. He replaced a 20+ year old fridge a few years ago. His electric bill dropped in half. Those old fridges sucked up power horribly. I don't expect our drop to be that dramatic since we have a full house with lots of other stuff but the fridge is the oldest appliance other than the oven but the fridge runs 24/7.

Sorry but that's pure bs. Even an old fridge is going to use around $15/month in electricity.

A fridge doesn't run 24/7 unless you leave the door open.

[disneysteve]

Sorry but that's pure bs. Even an old fridge is going to use around $15/month in electricity.

His situation was somewhat atypical. He was a bachelor who lived pretty simply. No high tech stuff. His place wasn't packed with a zillion electrical conveniences or things sucking up power all the time even when they're turned off. He worked all day, when basically nothing was drawing power except the fridge. He didn't cook much, had gas heat, didn't run the AC a lot in the summer. So the number one thing using electricity was his fridge.