Re: [GBlist] refrigerators that don't use much energy

[deumling@socrates.Berkeley.EDU]

The ACEEE numbers on the website are from 2000, which, though it doesn't
seem like a long time ago, date from before the most recent round of
energy efficiency standards went into effect July 2001.  You can do a lot
better than that.  The question I would ask in response to yours, Mike, is
what amount of fridge space and what features you consider necessary.  One
thing that has not changed in the past 50 years is the correlation between
size & features and energy consumption.  There exist fridges out there
that are well suited to households with one or two people that (a) cost
a fraction of what the 22 cubic foot Maytag suggested recently will, (b)
will use up far less of your kitchen space, and (c) will consume perhaps
half the energy, to boot.

As it stands, an Energy Star is awarded only to large fridges that feature
auto defrost.  The fridges that use the least energy feature neither.  I
think we should be talking kWh/year.  Given what is out there, I wouldn't
touch anything new that uses more than 400 kWh/yr, and if you are willing
to settle for 12 cf, you can go below 300 kWh/yr, and if 9 cf is o.k., how
would 230 kWh/yr sound?

And why stop there?  PUR insulation isn't that expensive.  Some folks who
have subscribed to this list in the past have achieved impressive results
by adding some extra insulation to what the manufacturers deemed adequate.

Reuben Deumling

On Wed, 30 Oct 2002, Debra Lombard wrote:

> Hello,
>
> Try the list from ACEEE on Top-Rated Energy-Efficient Appliances
> Refrigerators and Freezers. See
> http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topfridge.htm




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