13 tips for choosing a fridge or freezer

[This story first appeared in the Feb-Mar15 issue of Green Ideas magazine.]

1 - Cool costs

Chilled water and ice makers are a feature of many freezers, but they add considerably to the price ($500-$800-plus) and use a lot of the freezer’s volume, typically costing you 15-25 per cent of the space. Potentially expensive plumbing may also be required.

2 - Going large?

Before you buy a big 600–800 litre side-by-side fridge-freezer, make sure you have enough room – you’ll need a 5cm air gap all around, plus room for the doors to fully open. And make sure it will fit through your doorways!

3 - Post 2010 is better

Usually buying gear second-hand is a greener, cheaper thing to do – but that’s not always true with fridges and freezers. Modern units (from the last 5 years) are much more energy efficient, so an older model might be cheaper upfront, yet cost you more in power bills over time. Like all larger appliances, fridges and freezers are rated for energy efficiency, and range from one star to four – with four being the most efficient. However the rating system was toughened up in 2010 reflecting improved refrigeration technology and insulation. So a 2008 four star model has become only two stars in 2011. Compared with a pre-2010 model a new four-star side-by-side fridge-freezer will save around $60 on your electricity bill each year – that’s $600 over 10 years.

4 - Bigger can be better

You can get bar fridges as small as 45 litres, however smaller models are relatively expensive and energy inefficient. For example a 45 litre model costs $250 and uses 250kWh of power per year. By comparison, you can get a 421 litre Panasonic fridge-freezer for $1460, which will use 413kWh. Yes, that’s around six times the cost – but you get nine times more room inside, for less than double the annual electricity cost.

5 - Tight budget

Decide how much refrigerated space you really need. Around 100-125 litres per person is a good rough guideline.

6 - Wide on the wallet

Side-by-side fridge-freezers tend to be significantly more expensive than vertically stacked units.

7 - Steel yourself...

Stainless finishes look cool, but cost $100–$1000 more than white (and will make your kitchen seem darker). 

8 - Reliability

Surveys by Consumer magazine found that 89 per cent of fridges and freezers never need repair. Vertically stacked models are more reliable than side-by-side models, and the most trouble-free brands are Mitsubishi, then Westinghouse.

9 - Solar sense

If you are generating your own solar power, use a timer switch to turn your appliances off for a few hours at night and run them during the day when you are generating free electricity. Modern fridges and freezers are so well insulated that you can save money this way, without the contents coming to harm.

10 - Smarter power

Smart electricity meters are currently being rolled out around the country, with 1 million already installed. These allow real-time measurement of the power you consume, so power companies will soon start charging you different rates at different times. This means you’ll be able to save on your power bill by using a timer to switch off the freezer for a few hours when power’s expensive. Power generated at peak times – in the evening on cold nights, for instance – costs more to generate because it comes from burning gas at power stations such as Huntly. So switching off briefly will save money and reduce your carbon footprint.

11 - Safe disposal 

In Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, Fisher and Paykel (0800 372 335) will pick up your old fridge of any brand for free. They will remove refrigerant gases and recycle all other components. Old freezers and refrigerators contain chlorofluorocarbon gases (CFCs) which, when released to the atmosphere (usually when the unit is dumped) remain in the air for a long time, where they destroy our protective ozone layer – and some also have a potent greenhouse effect. Modern refrigerants do little or no damage to ozone, however some are still mild greenhouse gases, so they should also be properly disposed of.

12 - Other disposal options

In the greater Auckland area, the Tamaki Sports Academy (09 267 0328) fundraises by freely collecting any old metal, (including fridges, freezers, engines, lawnmowers, stoves and other appliances – though not TVs). Councils will often take refrigerators in inorganic collections, or you can take them to transfer stations, ecodrops and the like – although there may well be a charge of around $25. Inorganic collection material often ends up in landfills, and there is valuable metal in appliances which can be usefully recycled, so recycling disposal is far preferable.