Don’t Waste Energy with a Half Full Fridge Freezer

Energy Efficient Fridge Freezer

Did you know the cost of running your fridge and freezer equates to roughly 7% of your annual electricity bill? Thankfully, there are a number of ways in which you can reduce the energy consumption, by making sure your appliance is energy efficient.

Some steps you should take include keeping it is kept at the correct temperature (for a fridge this is between 3⁰C and 5⁰C, and for a freezer -18⁰C), away from direct sunlight and in a cool spot within your home / kitchen.

Another tip to help keep the appliances running efficiently is to keep a gap of 10cm between the back of the appliance and the wall. Doing this will enable the coils to work correctly, whilst it will also give you access to vacuum the coils every couple of months to remove dust and debris – which if allowed to build up, will require the motor to work harder.

Finally, another top tip is to keep the appliances stocked up. Thankfully, this doesn’t mean doing a “big shop” every week – as we know this can be expensive. Instead, there are a few tricks and tips you can try using everyday household products.

Old Newspaper:

So, you’ve finished reading your newspaper of choice and it’s ready to go out with the recycling. But instead of getting rid of it, use the newspaper to keep your freezer full. The best method to achieve this is to move the food to the side of each tray, scrunch up the newspaper and place this in the centre of each tray.

Filling the tray with the scrunched up newspaper will mean the freezer doesn’t have to work as hard to keep cold, resulting in less energy having to be used.

Bottles of Water:

A full fridge means the motor doesn’t have to work as hard to keep the appliance cool, and the best way to achieve this, without going out and purchasing more food, is to place bottles of water into the appliance.

The best places to store the bottles of water in your freezer are on the top shelf, in the door and at the back of the fridge. By placing the bottles of water into your fridge, not only does it mean the fridge isn’t having to work harder to keep cool, but it also means you’re not wasting energy cooling empty space.

Bread:

If you go to your local supermarket a few hours before closing, you’re likely to find a number of products reduced, due to them falling close to their best before date. Bread is always one of these products, and it can be a great way to fill up space in your freezer, helping to keep energy costs down. As an added benefit, you’ll have plenty of bread for when you fancy toast or bread-and-butter pudding.

Filling your fridge with bottles of water, or your freezer with old newspaper / bread, is a great way to reduce the energy consumption of the appliances as they do not have to work harder to cool empty space. But it is important to make sure you leave some space for the air to circulate around all products in the appliance, as this will keep them at the correct temperature, meaning your food won’t spoil.

For more tips and advice on keeping your appliances working to their full potential, subscribe to the BuySpares newsletter and receive weekly updates. Or if you have tips on keeping your fridge and freezer full, so energy consumption is not wasted share them in the comment section.

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