EcoRenovator  

Go Back   EcoRenovator > Improvements > Appliances & Gadgets
Advanced Search
 


Blog 60+ Home Energy Saving Tips Recent Posts Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-12-13, 09:07 AM   #1
NeilBlanchard
Journeyman EcoRenovator
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 383
Thanks: 78
Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts
Default State of the Art ... Refrigerator?

Our refrigerator is now 21 years old, and it has been pretty darn good. The one day that I measured it's power consumption, it was 1.6kWh / day. Which is pretty good considering that it is 27 cubic feet (20 cu ft refrigerator and 7 cu ft freezer up top). The heat radiator is on the bottom which is generally a good thing, but it does collect dust and cat hair, etc.

So, I can put LED light bulbs in there, and I can cross my fingers that the new noises it is making are not an issue BUT - it will need to be replaced, maybe soon or maybe in a couple of years.

I want to buy the best refrigerator I can to replace it. It doesn't have to be so big, and the freezer in particular could be just for ice cubes and ice cream. We now have a 12.5 cu ft deep chest freezer in the basement to do the lion's share of that work.

I'm hoping for less than 0.5kWh / day and a very sturdy design and materials that could last 50+ years. The heat radiator ideally would be remote and could be put down in the basement or even underground. Is there anything out there like this?

NeilBlanchard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-13, 09:46 AM   #2
Daox
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 5,525
Thanks: 1,162
Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts
Default

I haven't heard of anything like this. Sounds like a good diy project though. Create your own fridge. It wouldn't be horribly complex. Rip the guts out of an older machine. Reuse the inside and doors, but remove the skin. Remote mount your heat exhanger, add as much insulation as you want and face it with whatever you want (wood would be relatively easy). Can't wait to see your finished product!
__________________
Current project -
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.



To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
&
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Daox is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-13, 03:37 PM   #3
AC_Hacker
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
AC_Hacker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,004
Thanks: 303
Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard View Post
I want to buy the best refrigerator I can to replace it. It doesn't have to be so big, and the freezer in particular could be just for ice cubes and ice cream. We now have a 12.5 cu ft deep chest freezer in the basement to do the lion's share of that work. Is there anything out there like this?
Yes, it is called Sun Frost. They are made in the USA, they are designed with extreme performance for wing nuts like us, and people who live off grid.


And LOOK HERE...


They are essentially hand built, so don't expect them to be cheap.

How strong is your commitment?

Best,

-AC
__________________
I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...
AC_Hacker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-13, 03:46 PM   #4
jeff5may
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA
Posts: 2,428
Thanks: 431
Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts
Send a message via Yahoo to jeff5may
Default

The diy guys have found that hacking a deep-freeze to run at fridge temps is ultra-efficient as all get out. The secret is that the top opens, keeping the cold inside the box. Remoting the heat source is near useless, as there is very little heat generated at all. Typical usage is 100 to 200 watt hours per day.

For a conventional, front-opening fridge with a freezer compartment, look at Bosch and Whirlpool.
Bosch has a euro-market line called the SmartCool. It uses like 60% less energy than regular fridges of comparable size. All the USA-market fridges have at least some of the SmartCool technology built into them. The SmartCool fridges are smaller than American models, because europeans in general have smaller appliances across the board.
Whirlpool won a 30 Million dollar prize for bringing a super efficient refrigerator line to market around a decade ago. They still get the best energy ratings. Check it out:
Best Refrigerator Comparison | Save Energy and Money at Enervee

But here's the punch line: none of these super efficient fridges are anywhere near cheap. As always, you get what you pay for.
jeff5may is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-13, 04:58 PM   #5
AC_Hacker
Supreme EcoRenovator
 
AC_Hacker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 4,004
Thanks: 303
Thanked 723 Times in 534 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeff5may View Post
The diy guys have found that hacking a deep-freeze to run at fridge temps is ultra-efficient as all get out. The secret is that the top opens, keeping the cold inside the box. Remoting the heat source is near useless, as there is very little heat generated at all. Typical usage is 100 to 200 watt hours per day.

But here's the punch line: none of these super efficient fridges are anywhere near cheap. As always, you get what you pay for.
Yeah, the front opening SunFrost R10 uses 170 watts per day...

Part of their secret is ultra insulation, another is that the compressor & coil are on top, so the refrigerator is not bathed in its own waste heat.

I'm really surprised that nobody on this forum has actually built a converted chest freezer/refrigerator. It's pretty cheap, it is known to work really well.

There have been avalanches of posts about putting bottles of water in refrigerators and carefully monitoring results looking unsuccessfully for some sign of reduced energy... but no conversion.

-AC
__________________
I'm not an HVAC technician. In fact, I'm barely even a hacker...

Last edited by AC_Hacker; 04-12-13 at 05:04 PM..
AC_Hacker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-13, 06:56 PM   #6
slrpro02
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default

I hacked a freezer into a fridge. All you have to do is buy a controller. My Belkin Conserve Insight Energy-Use Monitor says it will cost me $27.91(@0.16Kw) a year to run, 2.3 to 2.4 KW.. The freezer is a Frigidaire Model # LFCH13M2MWO. 13-cu-ft-chest-freezer

Control Products TC-9102D-HV Dual Stage High Voltage Digital Temperature Controller
The controller is set to 39* & is half deep in the freezer.
Water starts to freeze in the bottom of freezer.

I hope I got everything right.
I tried to post links to all the stuff involved, but short on posts.

I'm the only one in the house.

Last edited by slrpro02; 04-12-13 at 07:02 PM..
  Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-13, 10:27 PM   #7
NeilBlanchard
Journeyman EcoRenovator
 
NeilBlanchard's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth
Posts: 383
Thanks: 78
Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts
Default

Thanks for all the info - I'll keep my eyes open and we'll see how long the unit we have keeps going.
NeilBlanchard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-17-13, 03:04 PM   #8
TimJFowler
Apprentice EcoRenovator
 
TimJFowler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 184
Thanks: 9
Thanked 12 Times in 11 Posts
Default

Check out the Energy Star list of qualified refrigerators - Refrigerators : ENERGY STAR

If you download the spreadsheet version you can sort to find the fridge that meets your size and efficiency requirements. Most on the list won't be as efficient as the fridges mentioned above, but at least you can compare purchase and operating costs.

FWIW,
Tim
__________________
- DIY Adventures in Applied Sustainability -

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
TimJFowler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-19-13, 03:39 PM   #9
creeky
Journeyman EcoRenovator
 
creeky's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: a field somewhere
Posts: 304
Thanks: 64
Thanked 44 Times in 31 Posts
Default

fridge-freezer KGE39AI40 from Bosch, available only in Europe. Energy use 167 kw/yr.
Bosch fridge freezer in NA. 554 kw/yr. admittedly a much larger fridge.

lets hope that the new regulations for 2014 mean actual reductions in electricity use.
creeky is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-13, 08:45 AM   #10
Ryland
Master EcoRenovator
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Western Wisconsin.
Posts: 913
Thanks: 127
Thanked 82 Times in 71 Posts
Default

Why do you need a freezer in your fridge? my parents and I both have fridges that are only fridges, no freezer and it's great! their chest freezer is in the basement, mine is in my laundry room, people come over and notice that my fridge is smaller then they are used to then they look inside and ask what the deal is because they see it has a ton of space inside, all at eye level and it looks huge inside, all because I don't have all this space wasted at eye level with freezer that I only use every few days.
Mine is a Danby and my parents have a Crosley, mine used 338kwh per year.
Ryland is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:56 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Ad Management by RedTyger
Inactive Reminders By Icora Web Design