Fridge power consumption - Page 2

TimJFowler · 09-30-10, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daox

I've even reduced my temperatures to 40F for the fridge and 5F for the freezer. I don't think there is much left to do besides adding insulation, and the wife won't like that one too much unless I can make it look nice and pretty. I did pull it a bit farther away from the wall when I put the kill a watt on it too, it was very close and it was pretty warm back there.

I'll try cleaning the coils.

Any improvement after cleaning the coils?

Does the fridge have an ice maker? Apparently ice makers use quite a lot of power. Can you turn off the ice maker for a few days and see what difference that makes?

FWIW,
Tim

Daox · 09-30-10, 08:36 PM

I actually haven't cleaned the coils yet. My average power consumption was 1.61 after a few more days of use.

The fridge does have an ice maker. We run it enough to fill the tray and then turn it off and it lasts for a few weeks. We did have it refill the tray recently though...

bennelson · 11-07-10, 09:16 PM

Fridges suck power.

Whenever I look at my T.E.D. (think of it as a whole-house Kill-a-Watt) and say "how the heck am I using 500 watts!?" I have to remember that half of that is just the fridge running.

We bought our fridge a few years ago. It doesn't take a huge amount of energy, but it is a 22 cu ft. I think our old one was 18 or 19, and size does make a difference.

I was over at a friend's a while back who had a Sun Frost. It's real quiet, and all the compressor, etc. is on top, where the heat can rise away from it. Seemed like a nice setup. Also, those things have crazy thick insulation.

You know how you can get aftermarket insulation for your water heater? I wonder about something similar for a fridge? I am sure that since they are all rectangular, it wouldn't be too hard to increase the insulation from the outside with some EPS.

strider3700 · 11-08-10, 12:02 AM

My old fridge ran a lot, every 10 minutes or so you'd hear it kick on. I pulled it out from the wall and took a look and decided the easiest/cheapest fix was to carefully move the coils away from the back and put some foil covered bubble wrap insulation between the coils and the back as well as build a heat shield of the insulation between the bottom and the compressor. Then I used some stand offs to angle the coils so they weren't completely vertical.

The fridge dropped down to running roughly every hour or so, it was a huge improvement noise wise. I didn't have a wattmeter at the time so i have no idea if it saved as much as it seemed to but my wife commented that the fridge seemed to be running less often.

My new fridge has built in coils and a smooth back making adding insulation impossible.

Daox · 11-08-10, 06:19 AM

I finally unhooked the kill a watt last week or so. After 925 hours of logging, it averaged out to 1.37 kWh/day. I still haven't cleaned the coils...

danneva · 11-23-10, 08:43 AM

Refrigerators and freezers consume about a sixth of all electricity in a typical American home – using more electricity than any other single household appliance.

Xringer · 11-23-10, 09:16 AM

I just found my notebook. On 2-14-09, it says 26 cents a day, $1.83 a week, $7.86 per month & $95.64 per year.
I think the Kill-a-watt was set for .20 per kWh at that time..

My basement freezer (on 10-2-08) was sucking up 731 kWh a year!!
We replaced that unit in the summer of 2010.
I tried to test the new one, but my Kill-a-watt was acting up..
(After I loaned it out).. Maybe I'll give it another shot..

Piwoslaw · 10-23-11, 01:44 PM

Here is something that really surprised me: Our fridge uses 255kWh per year (0.70kWh/day) and is considered very efficient (rated A+ on the European energy efficiency scale). But yesterday I was in an appliance store and happened to see an even more efficient model, Bosch's KGE 39AW40. It is quite larger than our model (fridge: 247 l vs 218 l, freezer: 92 l vs 83 l) yet uses only 157 kWh per year (0.43kWh/day)!! It's rated at A+++ (A-30%).

I looked inside, but the walls didn't look thicker than my fridge's, and I haven't heard about any breakthough compressor technology which would reduce usage by 30%, so my guess is a new type of insulation

The only difference between the two units (other than size) is that the Bosch has an internal circulation fan while mine doesn't. Could that be the key to lowering my fridge's energy consumption? Would putting a small computer fan inside mine help?

Xringer · 10-23-11, 06:00 PM

That's cool !

Clever and cool with SmartCool: the new line of super-efficient refrigerators from Bosch

All SmartCool units have an intelligent electronic control system that contributes significantly to low energy consumption. Compared to A+ appliances, the SmartCool refrigerators in Energy Efficiency Class A+++ save up to 50 percent on electricity. The minimal consumption of this line is achieved through a combination of several clever details. One of them is insulation, because even the most energy-efficient technology won't help if the insulation is not 100 percent effective. SmartCool units are therefore equipped with high-end insulation throughout. Inside, the evaporator draws the warm air out of the cooling chamber and ensures a constant temperature – using minimal electricity. Last but not least, the liquefier, which is responsible for thermal output, has been optimized for the new line so it, too, contributes to overall energy efficiency. And one final energy feature: the special design of the vaporizer in the freezer compartment, with the new LowFrost technology from Bosch. A sheath around the condenser drastically reduces frost buildup and guarantees efficient and uniform temperatures. This reduces defrosting – and if you have to defrost something, the quick access door makes it easy.

In the year 2025, we are going to get these in America..

NeilBlanchard · 10-23-11, 09:18 PM

That is good to know -- and I hope they sell them here soon! I have a 19 year old frig -- very large with 20cu ft in the frig and 7 cu ft in the freezer. It is pretty good at 1.6kWh day, but your new one is 1/4 as much. That is seriously good.

Where is this web page based?

http://appliancetoday.info/new-smart...rs-from-bosch/

09-30-10, 08:36 PM	#12
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I actually haven't cleaned the coils yet. My average power consumption was 1.61 after a few more days of use. The fridge does have an ice maker. We run it enough to fill the tray and then turn it off and it lasts for a few weeks. We did have it refill the tray recently though... __________________ 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.

11-07-10, 09:16 PM	#13
bennelson Home-Wrecker Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: SE Wisconsin Posts: 546 Thanks: 3 Thanked 165 Times in 96 Posts	Fridges suck power. Whenever I look at my T.E.D. (think of it as a whole-house Kill-a-Watt) and say "how the heck am I using 500 watts!?" I have to remember that half of that is just the fridge running. We bought our fridge a few years ago. It doesn't take a huge amount of energy, but it is a 22 cu ft. I think our old one was 18 or 19, and size does make a difference. I was over at a friend's a while back who had a Sun Frost. It's real quiet, and all the compressor, etc. is on top, where the heat can rise away from it. Seemed like a nice setup. Also, those things have crazy thick insulation. You know how you can get aftermarket insulation for your water heater? I wonder about something similar for a fridge? I am sure that since they are all rectangular, it wouldn't be too hard to increase the insulation from the outside with some EPS. __________________ 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.

11-08-10, 06:19 AM	#15
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	I finally unhooked the kill a watt last week or so. After 925 hours of logging, it averaged out to 1.37 kWh/day. I still haven't cleaned the coils... __________________ 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.

11-23-10, 09:16 AM	#17
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	My noisy GE Refrigerator I just found my notebook. On 2-14-09, it says 26 cents a day, $1.83 a week, $7.86 per month & $95.64 per year. I think the Kill-a-watt was set for .20 per kWh at that time.. My basement freezer (on 10-2-08) was sucking up 731 kWh a year!! We replaced that unit in the summer of 2010. I tried to test the new one, but my Kill-a-watt was acting up.. (After I loaned it out).. Maybe I'll give it another shot..

10-23-11, 01:44 PM	#18
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 961 Thanks: 188 Thanked 110 Times in 86 Posts	Here is something that really surprised me: Our fridge uses 255kWh per year (0.70kWh/day) and is considered very efficient (rated A+ on the European energy efficiency scale). But yesterday I was in an appliance store and happened to see an even more efficient model, Bosch's KGE 39AW40. It is quite larger than our model (fridge: 247 l vs 218 l, freezer: 92 l vs 83 l) yet uses only 157 kWh per year (0.43kWh/day)!! It's rated at A+++ (A-30%). I looked inside, but the walls didn't look thicker than my fridge's, and I haven't heard about any breakthough compressor technology which would reduce usage by 30%, so my guess is a new type of insulation The only difference between the two units (other than size) is that the Bosch has an internal circulation fan while mine doesn't. Could that be the key to lowering my fridge's energy consumption? Would putting a small computer fan inside mine help? __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.

11-08-10, 12:02 AM	#14
strider3700 Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Vancouver Island BC Posts: 745 Thanks: 23 Thanked 37 Times in 30 Posts	My old fridge ran a lot, every 10 minutes or so you'd hear it kick on. I pulled it out from the wall and took a look and decided the easiest/cheapest fix was to carefully move the coils away from the back and put some foil covered bubble wrap insulation between the coils and the back as well as build a heat shield of the insulation between the bottom and the compressor. Then I used some stand offs to angle the coils so they weren't completely vertical. The fridge dropped down to running roughly every hour or so, it was a huge improvement noise wise. I didn't have a wattmeter at the time so i have no idea if it saved as much as it seemed to but my wife commented that the fridge seemed to be running less often. My new fridge has built in coils and a smooth back making adding insulation impossible.

11-23-10, 08:43 AM	#16
danneva Lurking Renovator Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: USA Posts: 5 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Refrigerators and freezers consume about a sixth of all electricity in a typical American home – using more electricity than any other single household appliance.

10-23-11, 06:00 PM	#19
Xringer Lex Parsimoniae Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Woburn, MA Posts: 4,918 Thanks: 114 Thanked 250 Times in 230 Posts	SmartCool info.. That's cool ! Clever and cool with SmartCool: the new line of super-efficient refrigerators from Bosch All SmartCool units have an intelligent electronic control system that contributes significantly to low energy consumption. Compared to A+ appliances, the SmartCool refrigerators in Energy Efficiency Class A+++ save up to 50 percent on electricity. The minimal consumption of this line is achieved through a combination of several clever details. One of them is insulation, because even the most energy-efficient technology won't help if the insulation is not 100 percent effective. SmartCool units are therefore equipped with high-end insulation throughout. Inside, the evaporator draws the warm air out of the cooling chamber and ensures a constant temperature – using minimal electricity. Last but not least, the liquefier, which is responsible for thermal output, has been optimized for the new line so it, too, contributes to overall energy efficiency. And one final energy feature: the special design of the vaporizer in the freezer compartment, with the new LowFrost technology from Bosch. A sheath around the condenser drastically reduces frost buildup and guarantees efficient and uniform temperatures. This reduces defrosting – and if you have to defrost something, the quick access door makes it easy. In the year 2025, we are going to get these in America..

10-23-11, 09:18 PM	#20
NeilBlanchard Journeyman EcoRenovator Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Maynard, MA Eaarth Posts: 383 Thanks: 78 Thanked 39 Times in 32 Posts	That is good to know -- and I hope they sell them here soon! I have a 19 year old frig -- very large with 20cu ft in the frig and 7 cu ft in the freezer. It is pretty good at 1.6kWh day, but your new one is 1/4 as much. That is seriously good. Where is this web page based? http://appliancetoday.info/new-smart...rs-from-bosch/ Last edited by NeilBlanchard; 10-23-11 at 09:23 PM..