section 7 Since appliance standards are getting

more efficient all the time, that old fridge

or freezer in your basement might be

costing you over $330 per year to keep

plugged in. That’s nearly five times as

much as a new fridge would cost to run

per year. New fridges also have no

freon, so they don’t hurt the ozone layer.

The fridge can be the appliance in your

home that uses the most electricity. If

you have a fridge or freezer more than

10 years old, you should use a Kill A

Watt meter to figure out how much en-

ergy it’s drawing. Then you can decide if

the time has come to upgrade or unplug

it.

Tip: The kWh/Hour button is a toggle switch. If you want to check how many hours have elapsed since you plugged it in, press it once. To toggle it back to how many kWh have been used since you plugged it in, press the button again.

This information comes from Energy Star’s fridge calculator site and Con-sumer Reports (June 2012) at 14 cents per kWh for an average-size fridge with a freezer on the top.

old fridges or freezers

How to reduce your fridge or freezer’s electricity use

• Energy savings per decade: Up to

$2,063 and 16,448 lbs. of CO2 (As-

suming you unplug a 1991 fridge with

a top freezer and 20 cubic feet of stor-

age)

• Level of difficulty: Easy

• Cost: $0 (if you get rid of a second

fridge you don’t need)

• $400 to $900 (on average if you

need to buy a new fridge/freezer)

• How long it takes: A day to check

the fridge’s electricity use, and a couple of hours shopping

• Tools & materials: A Kill A Watt me-

ter, extension cord, a phone and maybe a Consumer Reports sub-scription

Because a fridge or freezer’s compressor

cycles on and off—radically changing its

electricity use—you need to measure how

much electricity the appliance draws over

a whole day to get an accurate idea of

how much it actually costs.

1. Unplug the fridge/freezer, plug the Kill

A Watt into the outlet, and then plug

the appliance into the Kill A Watt.

Tip: If the plug is hard to reach or see, you might want to plug a grounded (three-prong) extension cord into the wall socket first, and then plug the Kill A Watt and the fridge into that, so you can pull the Kill A Watt out to read it without having to crawl between the fridge and the wall.

Tip: Don’t unplug the fridge in the middle of the compressor running (i.e., when the fridge is making its humming noise). Un-plugging it then can hurt the compressor. If you do, you should wait at least a few min-utes before plugging it back in.  

2. Press the red button labeled kWh/

Hour so the meter counts the kWh

used by the appliance over time, as

well as the number of hours that have

passed.

3. 24 hours later (preferably exactly 24

hours), read the display. The number

displayed is how many cumulative

kWh the fridge/freezer used in one

day. DO NOT unplug the Kill A Watt in

order to get the meter close enough to

read it. The kWh reading will disappear

as soon as you unplug it.

4. Use our Fridge/Freezer Calculator to figure out

how much the appliance

costs to run and whether it’s time for

you to upgrade or unplug it.

If you need to buy a new fridge, consider

one that:

• has the freezer on top and the fridge

on the bottom

• doesn't deliver ice through the door

• is not a side-by-side model

• is the smallest you can manage with

• is labeled Energy Star

Keep in mind that the estimated cost of

electricity for the appliance (as shown on

the Energy Star label) is calculated using

the national average cost for electricity.

New England’s rates are about 30% higher

than the national average, meaning that

the electricity use of any fridge you buy

will cost you 30% more than the label says

it will.

To predict the cost of running your new ap-

pliance, multiply how much you pay per

kWh by the estimated annual kWh use dis-

played on the Energy Star Label.

If you don’t have a Kill A Watt meter, a less

accurate way to figure out how much elec-

tricity your fridge/freezer consumes per

year is this Energy Star fridge/freezer calculator. Enter your kWh cost, and the

year and size of your appliance. Both year

and size should be on a manufacturer’s la-

bel on the inside or outside.

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Recycling and rebatesHere’s an Energy Star video showing

how your fridge or freezer can be recy-

cled. Many stores (such as Best Buy) and

some utilities will pick up and recycle your

old appliance. Some will even pay you a

rebate when you buy your new more effi-

cient fridge.

Through Energy Star, you can get an up-

dated local list of applicable offers from utilities, retailers and manufacturers. Also check with your state energy office

and municipal waste management office

to see if they have any offers. Some will

offer rebates for recycling or for buying a

new Energy Star appliance.

If you live in Massachusetts, call Mass

Save and they will pick up the appliance,

recycle 95% of it and give you $50.

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