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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Saving Energy by Turning Down your Refrigerator Temperature


The colder, the better, right? Especially in the heat of the summer, it keeps things fresher...right? Well, if you're fruit is freezing in the bottom drawer and your orange juice has icicles that might mean that you can turn down the temperature. You can save significant energy by finding the right temperature in your fridge and not cranking the dial to "9."

Cold air has other ways of escaping your fridge and increasing your energy costs. The door seals can often tear easily, and are one of the more fragile and heavily used parts of the fridge. Small tears and open gaps can leak cold air. You can easily replace your fridge door seals, or it might just need a good cleaning.

Another useful tip: a full freezer actually helps make your freezer more efficient! The frozen food helps keep everything colder, and your freezer doesn't have to work as hard. Just be sure to not block the fan when you pack it up.

As far as colors go, stainless steel and white make the most sense, as they partially reflect any sunlight. Heat absorbing black would be the worst choice. Consider buying a higher efficiency model if you're in the market for a new refrigerator to save the most energy and money.

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