Fridge Facts

Refrigerators are the largest energy hogs in most homes, consuming about a third of the total energy used in a home. Here are some tips to improve your refrigerator's efficiency:

1. Fridges work more efficiently when they are full. If you have open space in your fridge, fill up some containers with water to help your refrigerator stay colder.

2. Store your food in glass containers. Not only is glass free from the harmful ingredients found in plastic, it helps food stay colder which helps the fridge work more efficiently.

3.Vacuum the coils twice a year since dust and pet hair make the coils work harder.

4. When planning a new kitchen or a kitchen remodel, place your refrigerator away from the oven and sunny windows to help it stay colder.

5. If your fridge was purchased before 1993, replace it with a new Energy Star model. When checking out all the great features available on new refrigerators remember, models with the freezer on the bottom or top use about 20% less than side-by-side models.

6. Remember your mother's reminder to close the refrigerator door? As usual mom is always right, the longer the fridge door is open, the more cold air you’re losing and the harder your fridge will have to work to replace it. So when getting items out of the fridge do so quickly. When putting foods away after your grocery trip instead of opening the refrigerator door multiple times, gather all the items that belong in the refrigerator together and open it up once to put everything away.