Buying a new green refrigerator

In recent news it’s been noted that some people are going sans refrigerators. This is a bold green move, however, it’s not for everyone. If your old fridge needs to be replaced and going commando fridge style is not for you, here are some tips for purchasing the best green refrigerator…

As always with appliances, an Energy Star-qualified appliance will save you energy, money, and keep your home a little greener. Energy Star refrigerators are required to use at least 20 percent less energy than current federal standards. Also, just because your fridge is from this decade, it still may be using more energy than necessary. New Energy Star fridges are 40% more efficient than models built before 2001. Find out if you should replace your old fridge.

Buy the least amount of fridge you need. Refrigerators use more energy (typically) than any other home appliance, so you don’t want to go bigger than you actually need. Before shopping, really look at te items you tend to keep in your fridge and assess how much fridge you need to buy.

Forget extras. Ice makers, water dispensers, and other fancy stuff use extra electricity and cost you money in repairs over time. Another extra to avoid are small undercounter fridges. Consumer Reports notes that fancy undercounter refrigerator drawers are overly pricey, not space efficient, and worse not very energy inefficient.

Choose a normal top-bottom fridge. Consumer Reports notes, “On average, top-and bottom-freezer models cost less and are more reliable than side-by-sides. They also tend to be slightly more energy-efficient, saving $5 to $20 per year in electricity usage.” CR also found that top freezers have the most usable space which means you can have more room but with less fridge overall.

If you think you’re ready to buy a new greener fridge, Consumer Reports has a good listing of refrigerators listed in order of energy efficiency – browse the list.