ENERGY STAR REFRIGERATOR SAVES $$$

Is your refrigerator using too much electricity?  Recently, my PSEG electric bill came with an advertisement that said "COOL SAVINGS ARE HIDING IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR."  Basically, if our refrigerator is working, purchased before 2006, and between 10 and 30 cubic feet, we can get a $50 reward for having them pick it up for FREE.

When this offer came with our bill we had already been looking to replace our old refrigerator.  I should say our really old refrigerator since it actually came with the house when we purchased it in January 2001 and even though it is only 14.8 cubic feet, it was using 1020 kWh’s per year to run!  We found out how much energy it was using from a handy little machine called P3 International Kill A Watt that plugs into an appliance and allows you to see the amount of kWh's over time (also called an energy use monitor).  

When doing research on newer Energy Star certified refrigerators, we learned that not only was 1020 kWh’s per year exceptionally high, but that refrigerator's are one of the top energy hogs in an average home!  I don’t know about anywhere else, but here on Long Island electricity is expensive.  It is probably our next largest bill after our mortgage so anything that can lower it is a bonus.  We used a total of 12,750 kWh’s last year, so the refrigerator usage was about 8% of the yearly bill alone!  According to EIA (The United States Energy Administration) our yearly kWh usage is only a little higher than the average American family as of 2013:

“In 2013, the average annual electricity consumption for a U.S. residential utility customer was 10,908 kilowatthours (kWh), an average of 909 kWh per month. Louisiana had the highest annual consumption at 15,270 kWh, and Hawaii had the lowest at 6,176 kWh.

Thankfully, an energy sucking refrigerator is an easy problem to solve – replace it! After some research and shopping around we found the best deal to be a similar 14.56 cubic foot Frigidaire on sale for $439.97 at PC Richard that only uses an average of 336 kWh’s per year.  There was also a $30 rebate offer!  They did want to charge us $50 for delivery, however the refrigerator was only 220 pounds shipping weight so we did it ourselves.  The final price after deducting the two rebates:  $359.97!  (Not including taxes of course…)

The new refrigerator should save us about 686 kWh’s per year.  At PSEGLI Rate 180 Residential/General Use  that is approximately .18 cents per kWh (of course not including fees and taxes).  So at 686 kWh’s less per year we are saving approximately $123 (More as they raise the rates each year, but we don’t want to think about that.).  The savings may be less if you live where electricity is not so expensive, but here on Long Island, the refrigerator will pay for itself in less than three years – maybe sooner if it keeps our food fresh longer! And, of course the best part is that using less energy benefits the Earth :-)  

Now I just have to wait for the two rebate checks to arrive…

A FEW TIPS FROM CA.GOV IF  YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT BUYING A NEW REFRIGERATOR:
Note that these tips have been shortened for convenience and that the website provides a lot more specifics.

• Explore the Energy Star Certified Residential Refrigerator Data Base
  
• Compare energy use numbers to find the most efficient
  
• Top-mount models use 10 to 30 percent less energy than same-sized side-by-side models which the federal government holds to different standards.
  
• Purchase the right size for your family - not too big and not too small.  The bigger the refrigerator, the more energy it consumes (also, if it is not full or too full energy is also wasted).
  
• Consider skipping the ice-maker and dispenser. These convenient items increase a refrigerator's energy use by 14 to 20 percent.
  

Before you buy check out the ENERGY STAR REFRIGERATOR SAVINGS CALCULATOR to see what your savings may be if you upgrade!

Find additional information about Energy Star Labels, calculating kWh's of appliances, energy monitors and more at ENERGY.GOV.