Lowering Refrigerator Costs

Refrigerators work by drawing heat out of the food placed inside and then transferring that heat outside the appliance. The more efficiently your refrigerator cools food the less energy it will use and the more money you will save. Here are some tips for saving money on refrigerator costs:

The ideal spot for your refrigerator is a cool, shady spot away from heat sources such as ovens and furnaces. Nearby heat makes the refrigerator work harder and use more energy. Sunlight has the same effect.

If at all possible, leave at least two inches of empty space around the back and each side of the refrigerator. Without that space, the refrigerator will have to work harder and use more energy to transfer the heat outside.

Once or twice a year vacuum the coils behind the refrigerator. It won't save a huge amount of money, but it will help the refrigerator work slightly more efficiently.

Check the seal on the gasket of the door. The plastic must seal tightly around the door to prevent cool air from leaking out. To test it simply close the door on a piece of paper or a dollar bill. If the paper stays the seal is tight. If it falls you may need to tighten the screws on the door or repair the gasket. A temporary solution is to lubricate it with some Vaseline. If that doesn't work you may need an adhesive compound to repair it.

Replace older refrigerators with new models that use as far less energy.

When buying a new refrigerator keep and eye on the yellow tags hanging on them. They will help you find a model that is energy-efficient. Look for an "Energy Star" label which indicates the highest efficiency.

More Tips for Saving Electricity

You can save money by buying a model with the freezer on top of the refrigerator since these models usually use less energy than either side-by-side models or freezer on the bottom models.

Skip the models that have a built in icemaker. The icemaker uses extra energy which means more money. It's far cheaper to make your own ice.

Don't keep the temperature any cooler than it needs to be. The lower you set the temperature the more energy is used.

Turn off the anti-sweat feature. Its not really necessary and it uses more energy. The switch is usually labeled "Energy Saver."

Let food cool before placing it in the refrigerator. Hot or warm foods will make it work harder.

On the other hand, it's good to plan ahead and defrost frozen foods inside the refrigerator because the cold will help cool off the other food inside.

The easiest way to save money on your refrigerator costs is to simply keep the door closed. Each time you open it, the cool air rushes out. Standing in front of the open door trying to decide what to take out means the refrigerator loses all of the cool air inside and must work harder to cool off again.