Make for a Friendlier Fridge and Save Some Energy Costs
One of these unfortunate statistics that not too many people are aware of is that the percentage of domestic electricity that fridges and freezers use in an average family accounts to close to twenty percent of their total electricity bill. Fridges and freezers are in use around the clock and all year round, so there is no excuse and no reason to expect that these two vital appliances are being overused. Despite that fact there are ways to cut down the amount of electricity that your fridge and freeze is liable to use, and here are a few pointers that, if adopted, stand a very fair chance of cutting your electricity bills, and by quite a bit.
The first thing that you need to do is to take two steps back and have a long look at your fridge and/or freezer. If you have owned them for a long time they might well be getting by their sell but date. That doesn't mean that they have broken down or are liable to do so anytime in the near future. What it does mean that if it is very old and outmoded technically, replacing it with a new and considerably more advanced model maybe a very worthwhile long term investment. If your family has shrunk in size for any reason, and the need to store food has shrunk with it, then again you should consider downsizing accordingly, especially in a refrigerator. If the appliance is fairly new and in good condition it may well attract a good price on the second hand market.
Don't forget that a half empty fridge will find it more difficult to cool and will use more energy.
Where your fridge is placed can also have direct significance on its electricity consumption. You should never place your fridge next to a washing machine, dryer, dishwasher and certainly not near an oven. Without a doubt, the best to place a fridge is in a cool dry and secluded spot in your kitchen.
A good idea is to keep your eye on the fridge's temperature gauge. Every model of fridge or freezer has their own standards. Time spent studying at which temperature you fridge or freezer works at best will be time well spent.
Last but not least, regular defrosting of the freezer or the freezer compartment in your fridge is vital. It will reduce the build-up of frost around the coils in the freezer unit. This procedure will reduce pressure on the compressor; will reduce the risk of breakdowns while maintaining ideal temperatures.
Keeping your eye on your fridge/ freezer is something that you should be doing to keep costs under control.
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