Keeping food fresh and frozen needs a constant supply of electricity. Unlike other appliances, you can't simply use your fridge freezer less to save money. The best starting point though is to identify how much you can expect to spend on powering your fridge freezer in the first place.
The main factors that affect how much energy a fridge freezer uses are its efficiency rating, features, and its type. Roughly, the larger the appliance, the more energy it’ll require. This means that a small F-rated fridge freezer might be more efficient than a large E-rated one, especially if the full capacity of the larger model isn’t used.
A fridge-freezer with an energy rating of D might use 408 kWh per year. Before October this would cost you £114.24 to run if you’re on a standard variable rate tariff, subject to the price cap. Now from October 2022 the cost per pence/kWh of electricity has gone up from 28p to 34p, costing you £138.72
If you went for the most efficient fridge-freezer with an energy rating of A, the usage could drop significantly to 206 kWh per year.
Ideal Home have also used this figure for the calculations below to give the highest it could cost to run a fridge freezer after October.
An F-rated 70/30 287-litre fridge freezer uses 275 kWh per year, making its annual running costs £93.50.
While an example E-rated 70/30 267-litre fridge freezer uses 232 kWh a year, resulting in running costs of £78.88
Upgrade to an example D-rated 70/30 294-litre fridge freezer and its usage is 156 kWh a year, costing just £53.04 to run annually.
There’s plenty you can do to cut costs every day as well as over the lifetime of your fridge freezer.
First of all, try to ensure that your fridge freezer is in the right place. Don’t put it next to the oven, by a radiator on in direct sunlight, and ensure there is enough ventilation so its compressor can expel the heat it generates easily from the back.
Make sure that these compressor coils on the outside don’t get dusty as this inhibits cooling. According to Which? thick dust can reduce efficiency by as much as 25%, so unplug it, and vacuum the coils carefully to improve efficiency.
Try not to open it too often or leave the fridge door open. Similarly, don’t put hot or warm food in the fridge. It will have to work hard to bring the temperature down again.
Ensure the dial is not on a too cold setting. About 4 degrees C is fine. Make sure the freezer is not set too low either, and remove any ice build up regularly.
A fuller fridge needs less air to keep cool. If it is looking empty and you are not planning a large shop, then fill it with jugs or bottles of water which also help to keep cold air flowing
Compiled from a variety of sources including
https://www.idealhome.co.uk/property-advice/how-much-does-it-cost-to-run-a-fridge-freezer-298277
https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/freezers/article/energy-efficient-freezers-asxA26k0DGX4
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