Posted on: Wednesday, September 14, 2005
Helping your fridge cool it
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Frigidaire's "Concept of the Future" fridge has a bar-code scanner and Internet connection.
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LEARN MORE More advice for homes and businesses is available at www.heco.com |
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A refrigerator can use a significant part of energy in a household.
With energy costs going up, it's a good time to consider conservation.
If fewer than three people live in a household, the refrigerator may use more energy than the water heater, especially if it was manufactured before 1980. A refrigerator can use anywhere from 31 to 300 kilowatt hours per month.
A typical new refrigerator with automatic defrost and a top-mounted freezer uses less than 500 kWh per year, while a typical model sold in 1973 used over 1,800 kWh per year. Federal efficiency standards first took effect in 1993 and became stricter on July 1, 2001.
Hawaiian Electric Co. offers tips that can help save money, protect the environment and reduce the chance of our being without enough electricity to meet demand.
TIPS FOR USING
Place refrigerators and freezers away from heat producers like the range, dishwasher, water heater and direct sunlight.
Maintain the temperature between 37 degrees and 40 degrees in the refrigerator section and 0 degrees in the freezer section. To check refrigerator temperature, place an appliance thermometer in a glass of water in the center of the refrigerator. Read it after 24 hours. To check the freezer temperature, place thermometer between frozen packages and read it after 24 hours.
Unplug the refrigerator and clean its condenser coils, especially if you have pets that shed, unless you have a no-clean condenser model. Your refrigerator will run for shorter periods with clean coils. Check your owner's manual for safety guidelines and the location of the coils.
Allow at least a one-inch space on each side of the refrigerator/freezer so that air can circulate around the condenser coils. If air flow is blocked, energy performance will drop.
Defrost manual and partial defrost freezers when frost/ice becomes one-quarter inch thick. Ice build-up on the inside coil makes the compressor run longer to maintain a cold temperature.
It's OK to place warm foods directly in the refrigerator, but divide large quantities into shallow containers for quicker cooling. Pre-cool hot soups and stews by immersing the container in ice water before placing in the refrigerator. Proper cooling limits the time and temperature at which harmful bacteria can grow.
Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator. While thawing, it helps cool the refrigerator.
Limit opening the refrigerator/freezer door as much as possible.
Replace worn seals. Leakage of cold air wastes energy and dollars. Test door seals by closing the door over a piece of paper half in and half out of the refrigerator. If you can pull the paper out easily, the latch or seal may need adjustment or replacing.
Cover or seal liquids and moist food in the refrigerator /freezer to prevent drying out. Moisture from uncovered food can cause an automatic defrost refrigerator/freezer to use more energy.
Remove heavy wrapping paper before storing food. Paper is an insulator that prolongs the time it takes the food to cool.
Fill your freezer at least two-thirds full. An empty freezer requires more energy to maintain 0 degrees.
Avoid overcrowding items because too many items obstruct air circulation and reduce cooling.
Look for the Energy Star label when choosing an appliance. Full-sized products that exceed the federal standard by 10 percent or more qualify for the Energy Star label. Compact refrigerators and freezers must exceed the standard by 20 percent to qualify for the Energy Star.
