Fridges never rest, but that doesn't mean that they have to make them work so hard
That trusty old fridge that you have been keeping so long that you have begun to call "old shep" may be an enemy in disguise. Not only does it wheeze and cough like an old timer, it may be so totally out of compression that it is costing so much more to operate than the job that it does justifies. Horrible though it may seem, there comes a time when even the most well loved of fridge's time has come. Instead of that noisy old energy guzzler, in its place will come a shiny new model. Newer and eco-friendlier, your new fridge will leave no room for nostalgia as you discover that not only does it look good, makes so much less noise than its predecessor, and none of them anti-social but it will also use about two thirds of the energy that "old shep" did.
Of all the energy guzzlers in your domestic energy users equations the fridge will always be very near the top of the list, and your faithful freezer not far behind. No matter whether your fridge is just out of its wrappings or has been around for a few years already, there are ways to make it more energy efficient.
To begin with many people make the mistake of hanging on to a fridge that has outgrown its capacity demands. The larger the fridge then the more energy consumed. A fridge that has large empty spaces will use loads of energy to cool them.
Another very worthwhile idea is to place your fridge and especially your freezer as far away as possible from the family oven, for obvious reasons. The amount of energy that a fridge or freezer will need to burn to prevent it overheating cannot be readily calculated, but it has to be a lot. The same rule will apply to a fridge placed near to a window or even worse left outside. The exposure to the sun's rays, no matter how slight, will mean that the fridge will again need to work hard and waste energy doing so.
Pay attention to changes in temperature, dramatic or otherwise. Tweaking the thermostat up or down by a degree according to fluctuations will make a considerable difference in energy costs, as well as regularly to reduce the build-up of frost around the coils in your compression unit will protect the fridge from unnecessary exertions.
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