Ecomodded Fridge saves $$ (added foam insulation)
 

I have insulated my fridge by wrapping it with 4 layers of wood flooring insulation/acoustic barrier,called SolidBlack underlayment - SolidBlack MD and 1 layer of the blue vapor barrier over top of it.

I made a 4 layer sheet of the SolidBlack to stick to the bottom of the fridge,one piece from the kick panel to the back vent area, both inside lower sides are covered as well.
I used 3m Super77 spray adhesive to bond the layers together then to the fridge.
I staggered the seams while wrapping layers over the fridge, each layer covered the previous layers seam.
I am making a vent off the back of the fridge that goes directly to a hall closet, no more basking the fridge in warm air. I am designing the vent on a upward angle so the warm fridge condenser/compressor air will naturally rise and flow into the hallway coat closet, which by design has no door.
As for the improvements noted so far they are as follows - The fridge was running for 35 min. every 1 1/2 hr, now it runs for 26 min. every 2hrs
with a 22*c inside temperature
Before run time 29%
After run time 18%

A 38% improvement

Something interesting is after i added the insulation the freezer temperature dropped from -18.2 to -23.7
I turned the fridge down from 1/2 to about 1/5th to maintain a -18 freezer and a 2*C fridge.

Once my vent system is completed i am going to conduct test on the efficiency improvements from using sealed empty containers compared to water filled.for the added PCM's
The PCM averages are in, 2 hrs 17m off time
26.6 minute on time
A 14% percent longer off duration with the PCM's / water jugs note: room temperature was 2 degrees cooler during pcm tests.

A new same brand energy star model uses 383 kwh annually
my 2007 model has achieved 255.5 kwh annually,
33% less electricity

Watt meter results are in
0.7 kwh used in 24hr
7 cents a day
$25.91 a year @ 0.102 cents a kwh

I don't see any coils on that fridge meaning it's cooling to probably the back of it and you've now trapped the heat in with you insulation. I'd be curious how well this works given a longer run time.

strider i can understand your confusion but you are looking at the newer model of fridges that have the condenser coils under the fridge with the compressor,its visible in the photo with black insulation over the fridge.
The fan sucks air threw the condenser coils and exhausts it over the compressor.
The improvements were listed.
There is no longer run time ? its a shorter run time with a longer off duration.. i highlighted it so its not buried in the post.

so they hide the coils on the bottom now? what a horrible spot to put excess heat.

My new fridge they're on the back but embedded into casing giving it a smooth back.

What I did on my old fridge was use that foil covered bubble wrap to create a barrier between the compressor and the fridgebox. I then carried it up the back between the fridge and it's coils so the excess heat stayed away from the cold. You could do similar at the bottom between the compressor and the coils to help keep that heat away from the cold area.

Do you have a kill a watt to measure how much power the fridge is using?

You have to start reading the posts before you post as in both your post now they are assuming the wrong information then coming to a conclusion, your making my first thread here a laborious one lol.

"But " since you missed it i will post it again ~~~~~I made a 4 layer sheet of the SolidBlack to stick to the bottom of the fridge,one piece from the kick panel to the back vent area, both inside lower sides are covered as well.
I used 3m Super77 spray adhesive to bond the layers together then to the fridge.~~~~~~~
I feel that the condenser coils are are in a much much better position then your fridge with its coils embedded into the back. To be brutally honest that is bad technology from years ago when fridges sucked energy 600+ watts.
Its not a new idea or a good one, it may cool the condenser coils down but at the cost of the fridges cooling. Sorry to dis your fridge but its how i understand it.

Doax i do not have a watt meter,next month i will pick one up on ebay.

My fridges spec's
 

These numbers are from my fridges spec sheet.
Operating time 25-35% @ 65 F or 18c.
45 to 55% run time @ 90F OR 32c
145 to 180 watts last third of cycle , Amps 1.1 to 1.6 @ 120v , Fan 2.3 watts .15 amps running , Defrost 375 watt


My test room temperature was 22c and i still achieved a 18% run time over the 29% before insulation run time.
I was amazed at how little power the fan used being its a fairly big fan.

My refrigerator has coils on the bottom but that's a better place for them than the back because if they were on the back, then the entire surface of the back of the fridge, that wall and the surrounding area of the fridge would be heated by the fridge. When they are on the bottom, the air is exhausted out the front of the fridge and not stuck behind the fridge where it continues to warm the fridge. The bottom of the fridge is insulated too and the back of the fridge is a larger area for that heat to be trapped and transfer back into the fridge. It might be better on the back when you have the fridge in the middle of the room where that air flow will be able to go around the fridge and move the heat away but for most refrigerators that isn't the case.

You're screwed either way when it comes to being on the back or the top because some heat will be migrating back into the fridge.

Have to thank everyone on this thread. I went and looked at mine and sure enough coils on the bottom covered in a mountain of dog hair because I had no idea they were there needing cleaned.

mnrenovator are you sure your's blows air out the front?

On mine it looks like the fan sucks air from the front grill through the coils and throws it out the back grates. From there it hits the wall migrates up the back to the top cabinet which was designed for a fridge and has a chimney up and out at the ceiling.

I don't have enough space on the sides to insulate like ecomodded did but I can stick a solid 1" rigid board on the back above the grates then I'll add 1" spacers on the sides to create a chimney between the backwall and the rigid that can go from the grates to the gap in the cabinet. I'll probably have to find something flexible to go under between the compressor and the freezer and channel that heat out.

I still argue that the compressor on the bottom is just dumb, It should really be on the top since the hot air is going to rise. I'm also aware that houses aren't designed for top compressors anymore...

Good to hear strider and MN Renovator that your fridges are not a internal heater/fridge.
With the smooth back its easy to assume it has internal coils.
Because of some misguided fashion sense we have the compressor and coils under the the fridge as opposed to over the fridge, it can't be long now before the designers decide to flip it right side up and put the works on top.

I was thinking a better set up would be too keep the fridge doors the same height but add the compressor and condenser on top after all our ceilings are 8 ft high.

good enough to monitor
 

Just an idea . ..

Google Image Result for http://images-en.busytrade.com/211942800/Energy-Saving-Plug-in-Power-Monitor.jpg

I think I need to look at this now !! :)

"mnrenovator are you sure your's blows air out the front?"

Yes, when I cleaned the coils a couple of months ago I took a good look. The coils are the full width of the refrigerator compartment. There is a fan that pulls the air through the coils and the exhausts it under the freezer side and out it flows out the front. Basically the freezer side is like a duct. This also helps with passing the warm air over the defrost water to evaporate it out quicker. The back of the fridge has no vents its a solid chunk of brown masonite or similar material in that area so the air doesn't have a way of readily going to out the back.

Looks like I'm going to have to pull my fridge out too now! I don't know if the coils are on the bottom or back... I too couldn't put insulation around the sides of my fridge, but I could probably put some on the back/bottom.

I have the math on improvement made it turns out to be a 38% improvement.

How are you measuring the fridge on cycle time?

I timed the run time and off duration with the wall clock for a week, compiling a 10 page collection of run times in the process.
It is a high resolution measurement.

Also in the morning when its 15c inside the fridge will stay off for 3 hours and run for 30 min.

The bottom and back are the real problem areas.
I tested the fridge with just the bottom of the fridge from the kick panel to the compressor/condenser insulated for a few days and noted a shorter run duration consistently of 2 - 3 minutes and a 10 -15 minutes longer off time.

Wow, thats dedication! :)


Now I'll really really have to do it. Every time I look at my TED data logs I can see the fridge turning on and off all day long...

Haha it was dedication!, I actually tested each layer of insulation and its effect, the on time shortened and the off time lengthened predictably with each layer, i may yet add more layers down the road, but first i want to conduct more tests:).

Your TED will be liking the fridge insulation, I also wanted to mention that if you could, insulate the refrigerators top as the freezer section could use the extra insulation.

I plugged in my kill a watt to the fridge last night to start logging pre-mod energy usage. In the 10.5 hours since plugging it in (overnight), it used .5 kWh. So, the estimated daily usage at this point is ~1.14 kWh. However, that really isn't a good number since I don't think we opened it many times after adding the meter. Last time I did this I saw pretty large swings in energy usage. However, after 925 hours of logging (38.5 days), I ended up with 1.37 kWh/day. We'll see how things compare after a week or two.

I measured my fridge run times with the door left closed so i could have consistency with my numbers unadulterated by door openings.
Which was hard to do, what i did was took out enough cream for coffee, milk for cereal and butter for the day to keep me out of the fridge as much as possible.

I learned a good habit there, i have been taken out my cream, milk and butter in the morning since.
It has been working great as i put the milk on hot cereal the cream in hot coffee and the butter is now spreadable.
By doing those changes i saved the fridge door from opening 7-10 times or possible twice that amount 14-20 times , as i normally open the fridge grab the cream shut the door use the cream , open the door and put it back.

Hypermiling my fridge haha :)

Based on Doax's figures the cost for the electrical energy per year is $85.00 to run the fridge. If I was to modify the fridge and get a 50% reduction I think I would be hard pressed to recoup my costs in ten years. But still it kinda a neat project.

Maybe I should quantify my effort. Remove compressor to other location like a shelf or cabinet in the garage and a condensor outside. A little more insulation for the fridge.

Randen

For the record, my fridge is probably about 5 years old. Its supposed to be fairly efficient according to the energy star rating (I'll have to dig that up), and I also run the fridge and freezer at a higher temp than most (40F fridge, 5F freezer). It also sits in the coolest room in the house. So, I have a few things going for me there. I'm sure there are more efficient refrigerators out there, but I'd probably say on average most use more power. I'd highly suggest picking up a kill a watt or other point of use monitor and see what yours uses.

Radon if your fridge saved $45 a year in ten years it would save you $450, not tooo pressed to recoup the cost.
If looked at strictly from a investment point of view it is a good investment, Keeping the cost down is paramount for a reasonably fast pay back, Finding supplies at a cut rate, free or slightly used prices is the way to go. Re- building supply stores craig's list or the like.
My investment is going to arrive back in my pocket fast, after that it will be making me money every year.
I payed $15 for $200 worth of flooring insulation and $30 for 2 cans of 3M spray glue.
$45 total costs pay back time a year or so then money in my pocket.

Fridge Rear Vent on & PCM's in
 

I have finally got around to finishing the refrigerator's rear vent from the compressor area extending out 6 inches to go through the wall.
I replaced the thin compressor condenser cover on the back of the fridge with a piece of plywood with the vent attached, the inside of it is covered with flooring insulation. I'll post pic's once i put the fridge back in place.

I took the PCM plunge and loaded my lower fridge up with water jugs.
And i do mean loaded, to the tune of 10 gallons of water in 2L juice jugs, 2L pop bottles and 1/2 doz. smaller 700 ml pop plastic bottles for filling some of the larger voids.
At first i had the crispers full of water jugs when i realized the air flow was non existent in there so i removed them and stacked the squarish 2L juice jugs into the bottom, filling up to the glass shelf that normally is over the crisper.
On top of that glass shelf i loaded it up with 2L pop bottles then lowered a shelf over it.

I have two shelves left, each one has enough height for milk juice etc.
I am going to insulate the lower inside door as it is hardly ever used and not needed, since its in a key heat loss position i am filling the void.

I put a piece of blue vapor barrier under the juice jugs on the bottom of the fridge, and put it up under the glass shelves attachment points to hold it in place, keeping the cold air inside the fridge when the door is opened.
It goes from the bottom of the fridge to the bottom of the top shelf and sags to allow access to the 2nd shelf I am pleased with it :)
The fridge has been running for 3 hours, charging the water containers and cooling the fridge after emptying it and washing it down.
I suspect the initial expense of cooling the water bottles will be easily absorbed by the fridges increased performance .

The Grand Finale
 

It will be a few days before i know what the improvements made are by adding the PCM's /water jugs.
It looks promising so far but it has only been 24 hrs.

Some photos of the vent work and the interior cold seal.

Very interesting. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I've talked to a few people who would like a 'curtain' or something inside the fridge doors to hold the cold in while they look for what they need. This is the first implementation I've seen that come close to that.

Years ago I remember some grocery stores having curtains of plastic strips about 4" wide that you reached through to grab your milk and other things. I haven't seen one in years. I'm not sure if they figured out how to keep the cold in the fridges without them or if they decided the energy didn't matter and they would rather just have the cleaner look of no curtains/door at all.

I noticed the fridge is much quieter, which makes it harder to notice when it turns on or off, which in turn makes it harder to notice when it starts up to begin timing it.

The house temperature is 19-20 c , 67-68 F

Off durations 2 hrs , 2h 30m , 2h 13m , 2h 34m

On durations 26 m , 30m , 25m, 27m

I have more measurements to add:

Off: 2 hr 40 m , 2 hr 6 m , 2 hr 30 m , 1 hr 47 m , 2 hr 27 m , 1 hr 48 m , 2 h .

On: 25 m , 25 m , 31 m , 25 m , 27 m , 26 m , 26 m

I forgot to mention that i blocked off the exhaust behind the compressor so all warm air is exhausted out the rear vent, the kick panel is now just for the intake.

For the added PCM's

The averages are 2 hrs 17m off time
26.6 minute on time

A 14% percent longer off duration with the PCM's / water jugs.

Facts: room temperature was cooler by 2 degrees c when conducting PCM tests, It may well be the measured gain is larger in this case because of it.
In the next few days i will raise my house temperature to 22 C and time the off durations again.

My kill-a-watt meter has arrived and measurements were taken.

Actually test duration was 23hr 45 m
Started test after run cycle
Ended test after last run cycle
1 short defrost cycle took place, 5 min.

Run time wattage: 125w to 120w
peak wattage: noted once, 150w briefly, drops to 130w in 2 min. to settle at 122w

Defrost 412w, 5 min. run time noted

It uses 120 to 122 watts 90% of the time when it is running

Test duration: 23hrs 45m
Started watt meter measurements after a run period had stopped
Finished the test after a run time had completed, at 23hrs 45m.

0.7 kwh used
7 cents a day
$2.12 month
$25.91 year

Room temperature: 19.5 c night and day.
Fridge was used as normal, including 6 beers..

Wow, thats really low. What is the ambient temperature?

Its pretty warm in here, its 19.5 c constant night and day during tests.
My fridge is a Kenmore not a GE like i thought, although they may be all the same, probably Kenmore is just a higher quality model of the GE line.. glass shelves and the better adaptable defrost timer.

The improved efficiency i measured using the clock for the fridge was about 50% , the kill-a-watt numbers suggest a 33% savings over a new energy star fridge.
Sears energy guide kwh usage for a 2012 model, the same size, features and brand of fridge is $41 or 383 kwh a year, comparable to other $42 and $52 per year fridges, my fridge is a 2007 model.

Looks like my $50 insulating investment will take 2 years to pay back.
More importantly i have started my electrical consumption reduction and just realized my first 50% reduction improvement:)

I put the watt meter back on the fridge at 10 pm today, tomorrow at 10 pm i will check it again and post results.
I wanted to check other items with it so it was hard to just leave it on the fridge.
added:
As compared to the yearly 383 kWh from the 2012 energy guide my fridge with heavy use is using 255.5 annual kWh, 33% less energy

I completed the 2nd 24hr cycle, this time I used the fridge less including no beers,it made a difference in the long run 208 KWh year, 0.57 kWh consumed, annual cost: $20.55 temp. 19.5c

I am going to do one more test with no door openings what so ever, same as my clock timing tests were conducted, its a more precise way to measure the gains or losses as there is no corruption in the data by the usage differences.

Non-use 24hr numbers are in
.56 kWh
204 kWh year
5 cents day
$19.65 year

Hardly a change from the lighter use numbers, just a 0.01 daily KWh increase, with a 20% lower consumption over the heavier use test.
46.5% lower then the 2012 energy star fridge
(unsure of refrigerator EnergyStar KWh rating criteria)

temp: 19.5 -20 c

Wow! Thanks!

As soon as I read this, I grabbed a flashlight to inspect my fridge. Sure enough, it had bottom coils,...and they were covered/blocked with dust bunnies! Immediately, I grabbed the vacuum cleaner, a brush, and a long slender device(AKA knife) and cleaned it all out.

Next spring right before the weather gets hot and the indoor temperature rises I'm going to roll the refrigerator outside and spray the coils down with water. Vacuuming the coil design in my fridge model is difficult, time consuming, and doesn't get rid of all the dust with mine. Water is the easiest way to flush it all away. Just be sure to let it dry well before dragging it inside. I usually need to borrow a few coolers to keep the food safe but it works well.

I had heard of someone who used compressed air to clean the coils out with, it sounded good to me. Although a wee bit dusty, you would want to sweep or vacuum the area after. I used a wet cloth, it left a dust stain of sorts, 98.9% done and a pain in the ___ to do.

Why? Just turn it on and the coils will heat up enough to dry out quickly. In fact, the evaporation will slightly increase efficiency;)

What temperature is your basement? I defrost/clean my fridge when it's really cold outside, so I can put the frozen stuff outside and the refrigerated stuff in the basement.

Right, but there's that whole myth about not tipping the fridge up and powering it up immediately incase oil moved to where it shouldn't be such as into the evaporator. I didn't have this issue when I waited about an hour before firing it up but I wouldn't want to invite a problem by immediately plugging it in. Besides if I pulled it inside and fired it up, it would be dripping over my wood kitchen floor and I already know from experience that it doesn't like being wet if I can't wipe it up immediately so I consider that a bit out of the question.

Even in the winter if I have the upstairs 40 degrees, the basement is still 50 degrees. Most of the time in the summer it is over 65 degrees down there. Right now it's high 50's with upstairs in the mid 50's at the moment.

Don't forget, for folks like me that live in cold climates where we heat for 7 months of the year, that heat from the refrigerator isn't wasted during those months, it heats the house. I like to think I'm getting a double use of any electricity use during those months where I am running an appliance or lighting.
So for me the calculation of energy "saved" would be altered a bit.
Good effort and documentation of the energy saved, certainly worth it for those hot summer months or if you're off-grid!