Making Your Power Hungry Power Lunches Energy Efficient

We must be powerfully hungry judging by the size of refrigerators these days.

Or, could it be that our power lunches grown in number and size.

In any case, refrigerators, once the power hungry hog of the home, has become the poster child for energy efficiency, and we are lovin’ every minute of it!

So, just how did refrigerators become the poster child of energy efficiency?  When was the last time you thought about the amount of energy your appliances use?

In the meantime, here are some things to consider when out shopping for your newer model.  Models older than 2001 are energy-gulping behemoths, I mean, refrigerators.

In replacing the old with the new, look for Energy Star because they are the most efficient by using at least 20 percent less energy than the standard.

Also, top freezer models are the more energy efficient.  We used to think it was the other way around with the freezer being on the bottom and therefore not having all that energy coming down into the refrigerator.

While that may be a fig newton of my imagination,  it’s the top freezer models that are more efficient.

Second place goes to the freezer on the bottom and coming in last is the almighty side-by-side.  They use a whopping 7 to 13 percent more energy than the top freezer models do.

Are those automatic ice makers on the door really really important?  I don’t get it because when I use this so-called convenience, the ice shoots out in all directions most of which miss the glass.

Not only that, those little ice maker goodies use a whopping 14 to 20 percent more energy!  Since I often end up picking up ice from the floor, I think I’ll stick to opening the door, thank you very much.

Here is why you want to replace your older model refrigerator.  A refrigerator made before 2001 pump into the atmosphere about 1,200 pounds of CO2 each year.

And now, the big question…

What does the energy efficient refrigerator have to do with the mortgage crises we see continually unfolding before our eyes?  Think it has to do with people making a poor loan choice?  Think again.  Does transportation, sprawl, excluding real energy expenses have anything to do with it?

In the meantime, if you want o find out how much your refrigerator, or freezer for that matter, costs you to operate, use the Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator.

You can also compare Energy Star models to see which are the most efficient.