Do You Need A New Greener Fridge?

November 7, 2008 in Furniture & Appliances by Jennifer | 2 comments

You might. There are some easy ways to figure out if it’s time for a new greener fridge, or if you should stick with what you’ve got.

If it’s old: Older refrigerators suck up double the energy of new Energy Star refrigerators. A good rule of thumb is that if it’s older than 12 years, start shopping.

If it’s newer: Even newer fridges may be replaced with a more energy efficient version. Just because it’s new, doesn’t mean you ended up with the most efficient model. Of course this means you’d be giving up a fridge (lots of materials and cost) which is something else to consider. To learn how much money you could save by trading up to a greener fridge, visit the Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator, then decide.

If it’s broken: If there’s a major issue with your fridge, and it’s going to cost a lot to fix PLUS it’s already old, thus less efficient, I wouldn’t pay for the repair. If you can swing it, get a newer fridge.

What’s next?:

Find a recycling center for your old fridge. Visit the Recycle My Old Fridge Campaign or Earth 911 to get started.

You also might be interested in:

Just for fun: DIY Recycled Refrigerator Magnets

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  1. Peggy’s avatar

    Peggy on November 7, 2008 at 11:32 pm

    Hello! Thanks for the link back to Junk Creation. And I love those refrigerators like you pictured with the freezer in the bottom.

    I’m all for updating appliances : )

  2. JulieF’s avatar

    JulieF on November 9, 2008 at 9:53 pm

    Don’t forget that an old fridge can be recycled in lots of ways, even if it’s broken.

    1. Craigslist, advertise as Handyman special or for scrap dealers.
    2. Freecycle, same thing.
    3. Storage in your basement/extra cabinet.

    I’ve even seen them turned into hot boxes, solar catchers, and more!