Friday, August 29, 2014

World Wisdom: 3 Simple Ways to Save Energy with Your Refrigerator

If you're a mom, chances are you're constantly fighting to keep the kids away from the fridge (and out of the kitchen, in general). Once kids get to a certain age, they tend to develop the terrible habit of opening the refrigerator and staring at the contents at least a dozen times a day. Not only is this annoying, but it puts a strain on your energy bill. Fortunately, there a few simple ways to reduce your energy usage that don't involve forking out the dough for a new Energy Star® rated refrigerator.

Stock It Up
One easy way to reduce strain on your refrigerator is to keep it fully stocked. It makes sense; the more cold items you have in your fridge, the less work it has to do to keep the temperature down. Thawing frozen foods in the fridge also helps to keep the temperature down automatically. The added bonus here is that slowly thawed foods taste better.

Time to Cool Off
Another smart way to reduce your refrigerator's energy usage is allowing hot foods to approach room temperature before placing them inside. This naturally reduces the work your fridge has to do to cool the food. There is one very important thing to note here, however: According to the Partnership for Food Safety Education, you should always follow the "two hour rule," which means never letting foods sit unrefrigerated for longer than two hours. If the room's temperature is 90 degrees or higher, reduce this rule to one hour.

Clean Those Cooling Coils
This last one requires a little more work, but it's a surefire way to keep your fridge running as efficiently as possible. The basic steps are: Disconnect power, locate the coils, and vacuum the coils and fan with your brush or crevice attachment. Then use a narrow paintbrush to dust away the remainder of stubborn dirt and dust. For in depth instruction, check out this step by step how-to coil-cleaning guide. For maximum results, be sure to complete this process at least once a year.
Finally, make sure your refrigerator has enough breathing room around it. This is especially important for the coils on the back. The air that heats up needs to be replaced with cool air, so the more space around the appliance the better.

How do you save energy in the kitchen? Share your tips with us in the comments!


Sarah Kellner writes about home appliances, including energy-saving tips, for Home Depot. Sarah's advice is geared to help homeowners more efficiently manage their kitchen appliances, including refrigerators. The complete selection of refrigerators available at Home Depot can be found on its website.

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