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GreenSpace: A new refrigerator could save you cool cash
Sure would be nice to have something like that here.
I've had my refrigerator for 10 years. The online calculator tells me it costs $82 a year to run, and that if I bought a new Energy Star model, I'd save $120 over five years.
That hardly covers the cost of a new one, so I'll hold.
Besides, it will allow time for technology to solve another refrigerator problem.
Remember how, years ago, scientists realized refrigerants were opening a vast hole in the planet's ozone layer?
Those refrigerants were replaced. But it turns out the new ones - HFCs and related "F-gases" - are some of the worst greenhouse gases around, far more potent than carbon dioxide, says Kert Davies, a refrigeration expert at Greenpeace.
The nonprofit advocacy organization has been pushing friendlier refrigerants - including isobutane, the stuff in lighters. Europe has embraced them, but not the United States.
Last fall, however, General Electric began navigating a regulatory maze to get the technology approved here.
GreenSpace: Fridge-o-nomics
If you're thinking of buying a new refrigerator:
Start with the calculator at www.energystar.gov.
When shopping, factor in the appliance's yellow "EnergyGuide" label listing the energy use and approximate annual operating cost.
Go small. Larger models cost more to operate, and a full refrigerator is more efficient than a half-empty one.
Models with top freezers are the most efficient, using 10 percent to 25 percent less energy than side-by-side models.
Consider doing without the ice-maker and dispenser. These increase energy use by 14 percent to 20 percent.
To get the most out of any
refrigerator:
Position it away from heat - an oven or dishwasher. Leave room at the back and sides for air circulation.
Keep the air intake and condenser coils clean.
SOURCE: Energy Star
