5 ways to improve your fridge-freezer efficiency

A fridge can often be the biggest energy consumer in a household – especially since it’s running 24/7/365. So how can you reduce the energy and cost of running it if it’s always going, you ask?

Well, short of swapping out your old fridge for a new energy efficient one – you know who to call when it breaks down 😉 – Here are 5 ways you can reduce the amount of electricity it takes to run your fridge-freezer:

#1) Embrace your stuffed freezer, but give the fridge some space:

• The freezer works most efficiently when packed to the brim with your frozen mango, leftover bagels and secret weapon ice pops for when the kids (or you) need a minute. Go ahead and toss in those cold packs even if it’s not beach season yet. Pack it in and an extra perk is that full freezers keep food frozen even longer if you lose power. Boom.
• Let the fridge breathe, without overcrowding. Stuffing a fridge too tightly, especially up against the back and side walls, can mean some foods (RIP head of lettuce) can freeze. While the items left in the middle aren’t kept cold enough. 

#2) Keep the doors closed: Your fridge and freezer use a lot of energy replacing the cold air that flows out every time either door is opened. By keeping the fridge and freezer mostly full, with breathing room in the fridge, there’s less air inside. The less air, the less that can leak out. The longer the door is open, the more cold air escapes and the harder your fridge-freezer will work to replace it. PSA: don’t loiter in front of your fridge. 

#3) Know your fridge “zones”: in a nutshell, top shelf and door tend to be the warmest zones, while the middle and bottom shelves get progressively cooler. Keep your fresh produce cool, eggs and dips chilled and proteins and dairy nice and cold. 

1. • Doors: condiments
   • Upper shelves: eggs and spreads and dips 
   • Lower shelves: meats and dairy products
   • Crisper: fruits and veg

#4) Let your hot foods cool down before storing: allow your soups and stirfries to cool down naturally before storing. This will mean less work for your fridge or freezer to keep the temperature cold inside. 

#5) Location, location, location: Never place your fridge-freezer next to a heat source like an oven or radiator. Bring down the shades if it gets exposed to direct sunlight and try to keep some circulation around it. If you store things on top of or to the sides of the fridge, it will work overtime to get rid of the hot air that is created by the cooling process.