Older Refrigerators' Energy Consumption

[rp2813]

Here in California and perhaps in other states, the energy providers have a program to haul away your old refrigerator that is in working condition, and pay you $35 for it. The claim is that older refrigerators are energy hogs, they are often kept as a 2nd fridge and usually run nearly empty or are just keeping drinks cold.

I have an early 70's 15 cf Whirlpool frost free with top-mount freezer and adjustable split shelving keeping drinks and a few other items cold in my garage. This fridge is quiet and seemingly efficient, fits perfectly in the tight space I'm limited to, and I really like it. Can anyone provide an approximation on how much energy this fridge is using compared to the two-year-old KA 26 cf side by side in my kitchen? Should I really consider replacing my beloved WP with a newer model, and if so, how much newer and how many KWH's am I going to save each month if I do? I would only consider replacing the WP if the savings on my electric bill would be substantial.

What if I replaced it with a more vintage model that isn't frost free, like an early 50's GE with top freezer? I tend to need the extra freezer space so would want one that could maintain 0 degrees or close to it.

Any input on this subject would be appreciated!

 

[petek]

I think it's a matter of personal concience and I wouldn't begrudge anyone who wants to keep their old fridge, they just have to pay for the extra electricity. Thing is there are countless 10's of thousands of these things out there running in peoples basements and garages like you say with nothing more than a 6 pack of beer in them or something wasting electricity. Mom had her 50's GE running in the basement near empty up until just recently and she sort of hated to see it go, me too. BIL took it for their office or something. But common sense wise what was the point of her keeping it when all she really needed if anything at all down there is a small little bar fridge (honestly she doesn't need one, she's an 80+ y.o. widow and now that time has passed she doesn't even think of it anymore). I wasn't surprised when we were house hunting last month how many people do have them down in the rek room

 

[petek]

Forgot to add, I think the state paying to remove them is a great idea..getting rid of those behemoths is probably a huge roadblock to people getting rid of them in the first place..plus you usually have to pay a disposal fee at most dumps anymore so to be paid to get rid of it.. bonus.

 

[Cybrvanr]

Instead of scrapping the old refrigerators though, I think they should be re-distributed to needy people. There are folks out there that don't have any working refrigerator in their homes at all. It just seems like a total waste to destroy perfectly good working appliances, even if they do waste energy. "Waste" to me is basically a mis-applied resource. A near-empty refrigerator sitting in someone's basement running away is definitely wasting energy, but that same exact refrigerator keeping food fresh for a needy family however is performing a good duty. Still, anyway you put it, that refrigerator is not doing ANYBODY any good scrapped, where it will further consume energy to dispose of.

...okay, well enough of the ranting. I have a 20 cu/ft Whirlpool top&bottom fridge that's probably early 80's vintage. I connected the fridge up to a "Watts UP" meter and let it run for several days and record it's useage. Using the local rate of 7.5 cents per KWH, the refrigerator cost me about $10 or so a month in electricity. During an entire year, I guess that amounts to about $120. Looking at the Energy guide stickers on many of the new fridges of similar size, I've noticed that the average seems to be between $40 and $45 a year....that is also at an "average" 8.5 cents per KWH, so I can stand to benefit even more than the sticker says when comparing it to my existing fridge. A basic new fridge at $500 or so could possibly pay for itself in about 5-6 years through power savings.

On the flip side of this is some of the VERY old fridges from the 50's and even earlier. Many of these are not frost-free. In order to defrost, a heating element is activated within the freezer compartment to remove ice from the coils. This, obviously adds heat that must be extracted. Refrigerators, especially ones built in the late 60's, seventies, and early 80's like mine, are some of the worst energy hogs. In order to maximize storage space, and minimize exterior size, the insulation was minimized, and the cooling power maximized. Another factor in these fridges being energy hogs is the location of the condensing coils, which is in the bottom, and needs a fan to circulate the warm air. Not only does the fan consume energy, but the heat from the condenser can radiate back into the food compartment.

Very early, non frost-free refrigerators, especially the ones with the rear coils, are actully almost as efficient as modern fridges! Disposing of one of these would be a real shame not just because of the nostalgic factor, but also because it really provides little, if any gain in efficiency if a new one was purchased to replace it

 

[dalangdon]

My mom still has the 1952 General Electric fridge that she and dad bought when they got married. Still runs like a top, and doesn't even need defrosted that often. It also sits mostly empty throughout the year, though.

Didn't the very early electric refrigerators (like 1930-era units?) have a really nasty coolant that could kill you if you breathed it?

 

[volvoguy87]

There is more to energy efficiency than energy.

I am writing my graduate thesis in historic preservation on sustainability in historic buildings (and appliances). While saving electricity is a noble goal, it is often short-sighted. As an example, many old refrigerators (not frost-free) are actually quite energy efficient, even by today's standards. The problem is that even with an inefficient appliance, when replacing it for the sake of higher energy efficiency, consider a few things:
#1 Given the cost of the energy saved in a year, how long will it take for the energy savings to pay for the disposal of the old appliance, and pay for the creation, delivery, and installation of the new one. Include interest if purchased on credit.
#2 Will the new appliance even last long enough to pay for itself when considering the point of item #1?
#3 Appliances have gotten much cheaper over the past few decades, often in price, but in terms of actual cost as well. How many hours would you have to work in 1960 to afford a TOL refrigerator? How many hours would you have to work now to afford an equivelant TOL refrigerator? By having more expensive appliances in the past, they were often made with better parts and materials. Since they were so expensive, they were designed to be serviced, rather than thrown away and replaced.
#4 Consider the estimated service life of a new appliance. a GE Monitor Top refrigerator from the 20s or 30s was designed for a service life of 25 years. How many new refrigerators are expected to even make it to 10?

Some old refrigerators like the GE monitor top were made before freon was in use. The GE monitor top, if my memory serves me correctly, used 2 kinds of refrigerant over its production life. Their names escape me but I think one was toxic, the other was flamable. When restoring a fridge, it is possible to convert to a new refrigerant.

In addition to energy, think about other elements of design when replacing an appliance. Do you particularly like the old one? Do small nuances of its design fit your lifestyle or decor well? If you like your appliance, KEEP IT! Better that it work for you than rust in a dump.

Just because it is old doesn't mean it won't work reliably,
Dave

 

[kenwashesmonday]

rp2813 wrote:
"What if I replaced it with a more vintage model that isn't frost free, like an early 50's GE with top freezer? I tend to need the extra freezer space so would want one that could maintain 0 degrees or close to it."

That would save you some money on the electric bill. There is also an added bonus, STYLE! Just make sure you get a 2-door. A 1-door fridge needs defrosting much more often, and the freezer is usually only about 10 to 15 degrees F. My 1951 GE 2-door (GE called them a "combination") runs right around 0 F in the freezer.

Sorry to say it, but your Whirlpool is an energy hog.

Ken

 

[rp2813]

Sulfur Dioxide

Is the nasty gaseous coolant used by GE in their early "monitor top" units, and yes, it's harmful stuff. I don't know if any other makes used this, but GE switched to freon in the mid 30's, I'm guessing.

Cyb, I agree with you. Habitat for Humanity or other organizations could make good use of working refrigerators. And I want to re-state that the program here only applies to working units. If you have a dead fridge, that's still your problem to dispose of it. It's not consuming energy so it doesn't qualify for the program. Thanks very much for your calculations. I think my WP was built before the energy crisis of 1973 so I suspect it's about as big a hog as you can get, with bottom coils etc. Although a huge pink 1961 bottom freezer Coldspot that my sister once had just screamed "hog." What a beautiful deluxe machine that was, though, with flourescent lighting in refrigerated section and an atomic looking "space master" logo on the front. It could double as a Civil Defense shelter, I'm sure.

Also agree that the older frosty type units are worth saving. I'd never consider $35 to send my mom's little 1939 Westinghouse to the junk pile. It's happy keeping drinks and beers cold on her patio year 'round and is only a few cf in size anyway. It cycles on & off so seldom, it seems very efficient even with original door gasket. Glad to hear about the 1952 GE still going strong. Those were great units and maybe I'll own one someday.

What prompted me to start this thread was an item on TV news this week about the program, and how all possible parts of the refrigerators are recycled. So they aren't sent to the crusher/landfill at least. But saving them to be put to good use by people in need seems like the best route of all.

Thanks to all who have responded. Is this a great site or what?

Ralph

 

[58limited]

My 1951 GE Combination, 1949 Coldspot deep freeze, and 1954 Frigidaire all run great and all are in continuous use. I don't notice the electric bill being too high (except in summer when the A/C runs). Another thing about old fridges and freezers: They are thick and well insulated. When Hurricane Rita hit my area last year, I couldn't get back into town until 7 days after the storm (power was not restored for 2 1/2 weeks). Yes, the food in the frigdes was nasty, but not as rotted as my friend's new fridge. The freezer compartments were not bad. The meat was warm but only just starting to rot. The best of all was the deep freeze - food was still cool to the touch, but I trashed all the food anyway. Oh, my 1951 GE freezer compartment gets to -10!

 

[sudsmaster]

Quite often you can call the manufacturer, give them the model number, and maybe also the serial number, and they can look up the energy consumption. GE was able to do that with both my 70's era fridges - which I promptly replace with modern KA's that use about 1/3 the juice (and run better, too).

I have a late 40's GE single door fridge. I hooked it up to a Watt's Up? meter last month, ran it for a couple of days, and it used the equivalent of about 400 kWH/yr, which is very competitive with modern fridges. Sure it has a tiny freezer compartment, but on the other hand, I already have a 15 cu ft chest freezer, so I really don't need a big freezer compartment in a second fridge. Once I get the GE repainted and the door gasket renewed, I'll probably replace the KA top freezer in the second retro kitchen with it.

 

[mixfinder]

Energy Efficient Inefficiency

How much energy and materials are wasted building a new refrigerator, we don't need. If any of us really care about the environment, it would seem not buying a new appliance would cut down on the amount of appliances manufactured, and all the collateral pollution.
Newer energy efficient models are not a garanutee it will have the same cooling capacity of the older styles.
Give me an older fridge, with quality worksmanship and materials.
It's not very friendly to wreak havoc on the eco systems in India, China and Mexico, so we can import them here to save a few paltry cents in electricity.
Kelly

 

[rp2813]

I'm a big fan of older appliances in general but especially refrigerators.

Suds, I used to dream of re-creating my mom's 1949 Westinghouse scene in a 2nd kitchen someday, but that 2nd kitchen has yet to materialize and only the '49 stove remains as a working item, but I prefer gas anyway. The Laundromat washer is a basket case I'll never get to. Finding another '49 Westy fridge would be nearly impossible, and it had a bad handle design anyway.

Combine this with a partner who scoffs at my interests and I've given up on the whole idea.

My 70's WP is model EVT51ZM. It's a clean and simple pre-simulated woodgrain handle design. I'd trade "up" to an early 50's GE combination if the opportunity presented itself. I could probably get my partner to be OK with that. My problem is that ideally the fridge needs to be no more than 30" wide, and I felt lucky to find the WP cheap and it fit perfectly that tight space.

Mix, that is a very nice looking bottom freezer model you have there. No question in my mind that older is better when it comes to durability and longevity of a given refigerator.

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, here in California electricity rates are significantly higher than they are in the land of cheap hydro. An inefficient 70's or 80's era side by side can easily lead to $200 or more per year in extra electricity bills, vs. a modern efficient unit. Using $1000 as the cost of a modern efficient fridge, in five years one would have recouped the cost.

As for the newer ones not having the "cooling capacity" of older models, it's possible that the older ones have bigger compressors to make up for the thinner insulation. But I'm not sure that's a good thing, as a bigger compressor will use more energy. What is key is how cold things are kept inside the fridge, and in my experience my newer KA's keep everything just as cold as the older GE's they replaced.

I think if one wants to go with a vintage fridge, it would probably be best to go for one of the sealed-system thick wall manual defrost jobs from the 40's to early 50's. If you need more freezer room, a chest freezer is efficient long term storage. The combination will probably still use less energy than a big 80's side by side.

For example, my 15 cu ft chest freezer uses about 400 kWh/yr. My late 40's GE fridge uses about 400 kWh/yr. That's a total of 800 kWh/yr. My old 80's GE side by side used 1700 kWh/yr.

 

[volvoguy87]

More fridges.

To respond to Sudsmaster's post, if the new fridge will pay for itself in energy savings in only 5 years, what are the chances of the new fridge lasting 5 years without a repair which will cost money. Also add in the cost of removal and disposal of the old fridge, tax on the new one, and your time and trouble to get it. Keeping an appliance until its useful life is over is not necessarily a bad option. After all, $200.00 isn't that much money, especially considering that it's less than $17.00 per month over the course of a year.
I am not saying that we should build fridges exactally like we did in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, the technology has improved, but the old units are still capable of doing their job well. Also, there are 2 areas of design to consider here. The cabinet, and how well insulated it is, and the mechanical system and how efficient that is. The most efficient compressor is worthless if the cabinet insulates like a sieve. Likewise, the best insulated cabinet is worthless if the cooling equipment is innefficient or is not properly sized, (AND MAINTAINED).
I don't want to push anyone's buttons, I just wanted to add my 2 cents. By the way Sudsmaster, thanks for putting some numbers down. You make some very valid points, perhaps if people could be bothered to defrost their fridges the energy use could drop even more.

Thanks for the stimulating debate,
Dave

 

[sudsmaster]

Well, I've had both my KA's for about five years now. One required a service visit for the ice maker (really wasn't broke, but a power outtage caused the water line to freeze up). The other one hasn't required any attention (I've never hooked up the icemaker). I think modern basic fridges are pretty darn reliable.

By the way, I picked up another watt meter the other day at Harbor Freight. It's called a "Kill A Watt". Haven't tried it yet, but the price was right: $25 as I recall. Measures power factor too, something the "Watts Up?" doesn't do.

I don't regret getting new fridges one bit. By replacing my old ones, I lowered the fridge energy consumption from 3,200 kWh/yr to about 1,100 kWh/yr. Not too shabby.

 

[rp2813]

The big KA side-by-side I purchased last year replaced a fairly TOL Whirlpool 25+ cf side-by-side from appx 1985. I bought that WP used when it was a few years old. I suspect it may have been a victim of a power surge related to the Loma Prieta earthquake and its compressor had been replaced. It ran for about 15 years without any trouble. Sometimes the ice maker would act up, but the killer for that fridge was when the lower hinge on the fridge section's door failed. I was contemplating replacing that fridge anyway as it was noisy and seemed to be running all the time, and I deemed it not worth fixing.

Needless to say, when I checked KWH on my electric bill after the first full month with the KA, the decrease in electrical consumption was dramatic. This fridge actually cycled off on a regular basis! What a difference and what wonderful silence in my kitchen! So far the KA has performed fine, I do find swings in fresh food section temps depending on the abient temperature, and that's disappointing. Sometimes food in the back of the fridge can get frozen but if you turn it up a little, then drinks don't seem cold enough. Also don't like the little vent to the freezer section you're not supposed to block on the bottom shelf of the fresh food section, but overall quality seems good.

One of the reasons I went with the KA is for the ice maker. I like the KA/WP models that have the easily removable ice bin in the door. I also think the whole electric eye system for ice maker operation is kinda cool. I just hope it doesn't screw up. Looking forward to many years of good service out of my KA, and I will continue to vacuum the coils even though the owner's manual advises that it's no longer necessary. It can't hurt.