A refrigerator is one of the essential appliances in your home. Nonetheless, refrigeration consumes considerable energy, especially under suboptimal operations. Fortunately, you can reduce power usage if you increase your refrigerator's energy efficiency.
Here are six best practices to enhance refrigeration energy efficiency to lower utility bills.
1. Increase Your Temperature Settings
You may have set the temperature in your fridge lower than needed. Usually, the middle setting on your temperature knob keeps your food safe without unnecessary energy use. Based on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), refrigeration at temperatures as 'high' as 40 degrees Fahrenheit keeps your food safe.
2. Keep the Refrigerator Away From Heat
Don't place your refrigerator next to a heat vent, oven, radiator, or dishwasher. Also, ensure the location isn't near a window to avoid frequent contact with UV rays. The reason is that the extra heat causes your refrigerator to run more frequently. The result is an increase in energy consumption and utility bills.
3. Keep Your Refrigerator Organized
Refrigerator organization isn't only a matter of housekeeping. Instead, when you organize your refrigerator, you can find items quickly. You won't have to leave the door open for a long time to find foodstuffs. As a result, lesser heat escapes, and the condenser works less to get temperatures back to the ideal refrigeration level. Ultimately, you save on energy consumption.
4. Allow Space for Airflow
Heat must move away from the refrigerator to allow for proper airflow. If any heat is trapped, your refrigerator will have to run more to meet your refrigeration needs. So, ensure the back of your refrigerator is at a distance from the wall to give space for airflow. Also, don't stack items on top of the refrigerator because heat trapped in the things makes your refrigerator work harder.
5. Keep Your Refrigerator Full
Keep your refrigerator at least 3/4 full at all times. The reason is that a fuller refrigerator has less air to keep cool to meet your refrigeration needs. Also, closely placed foodstuffs keep each other at low temperatures.
You can also store jugs of water if your refrigerator is too big. Further, the quarter space you leave allows for good airflow, vital for efficient refrigeration.
6. Keep the condenser coils clean
Condenser coils create cold air but can't radiate well with grimy or dirty surfaces. Therefore, always inspect your condenser coils and clean them when needed.
For example, refrigeration contractors use a vacuum cleaner or coil brush to clean the coils beneath or behind your refrigerator. Clean coils make refrigeration simpler and work faster to chill the air, which reduces energy costs.
Conclusion
The practices above can save you quite a bit on monthly utility bills. Finally, new models of refrigerators are more efficient than the older types. So, opt for an energy star-rated appliance if you plan to upgrade your refrigerator to enhance optimal performance.
