Compact refrigerators aren’t always the energy-efficient choice

In "Greens Gone Wild! These Folks Have Turned Their Back on Refrigerators," we reported on a New York Times story about energy-conscious individuals who have stopped using their refrigerator or given up their full-size model.

One of those profiled in the Times' article stores her food in a compact refrigerator instead of a full-size model. While that might sound like a good energy-saving move, it's not necessarily a smart decision because compact refrigerators are not particularly efficient for their size.

In our latest report, we found that while tall compact refrigerators got higher energy-efficiency scores than shorter ones, these appliances typically use a lot of energy for the storage space they provide.

We also noted that some compact refrigerators consume almost as much electricity as a full-size refrigerator. The Frigidaire FRC05L5D[B] (shown) has a claimed capacity of only 4.6 cubic feet and will cost about $38 on average to run each year; its EnergyGuide label says it will use 348 kilowatt hours annually. But for about $6 and 59 kWh more per year, you could run the Kenmore 7787[2] top-freezer we've tested, which has a claimed capacity of 18 cubic feet. The up-front cost of a full-size refrigerator will be higher, of course.—Kimberly Janeway

Essential information: Check out our Energy-Saving Guide for more advice.

Written by larrylarr on February 13th, 2009 with no comments.
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