Replacing Refrigerators to Save Energy

[DADoES]

It's often said that much energy can be saved by replacing a refrigerator that's 10 or more years old. My neighbor wanted to find out whether the advice is reasonable. His refrigerator is a typical Whirlpool top-freezer unit about 18 to 20 cu ft, about 21 years old. I have a 1997 KitchenAid top-freezer in my garage, also about 20 cu ft. Inside my house I have a 2004 GE Profile Arctica, rated as 23 cu ft.

The neighbor bought a Watt-A-Meter to find out how much power his refrigerator uses. He brought it over to test mine. I don't know if the test periods include any defrost cycles.

My GE used 1.83 KWH in a 24-hr period. I checked the meter when the compressor was running, it reported between 83 and 94 watts. That's right, less than a 100-watt light bulb! Opening the refrigerator section door shot the number up to 290 watts, there are four light bulbs inside.

My KitchenAid used 1.64 KWH in 24 hrs. Interesting. It's in a hot garage in south Texas, but is seldom opened. The freezer section is packed fairly full. The refrigerator section isn't full, primarily storing some 2-liter soft drink bottles and a few other items.

His Whirlpool used 3.86 KWH in 24 hrs. True, that's a bit more than double my GE ... but still is not an enormous consumption of energy. Far as I'm aware, the condensor has seldom, if ever, been cleaned, which I imagine cleaning the condensor would reduce the figure by at least a small degree.

Based on the local (current, summer) electric rate of $0.1438/KWH per my last bill (neighbor is on the same provider), a 30-day month costs
GE $7.89
KA $7.07
Whirlpool $16.65

Note that the winter rate is significantly less. Nov-Dec 2006 was $0.0845/KWH.

Figuring on the full summer rate, and estimating $1200.00 for a nice new GE SxS refrigerator, (if I've figured it correctly) it'd take 136.98 months for the electric bill savings to payback the $1200. That's 11.4 years. By that time, the new refrigerator would be OLD again and due for replacement. Of course, it'd actually take longer when the lower winter rate is included. On the other hand, electric rates won't go anywhere but up.

But the neighbor is now skeptical as to the merits of replacing a working older refrigerator for no reason other than to save energy. Considering the energy costs involved in manufacturing new refrigerators and disposing of the old ones, the payback on an individual level seems to not be what the pundits are touting. On a global level, if EVERYBODY followed suit .... maybe.

Comments?

 

[selectomatic]

I visited the EnergyStar website, and using their data I decided that it might be a good idea to replace my 19-year-old Amana side-by-side, even though I dearly love it.

It didn't look like I'd save as much by replacing the old Coldspot freezer-on-top model in the bar.

BOY were they wrong! After hooking up a Watt Meter to each of them, it turns out that it would take at least a decade to pay off a replacement for the Amana, but the Coldspot was hogging enough power to pay for itself in less than a year.

I don't like the new refrigerator in the bar as well as the old one, but I like the reduced power bills!

And the Amana lives on.

 

[laundryshark]

Freon Verses Freon-Free Refrigerants

Along similar lines: Do the newer refrigerant chemicals, along with compressor designs, make any difference in energy savings in a standard icebox? True, routine maintenance might also play a role.--Laundry Shark

 

[appnut]

Well, my 26 year and 10 month old Whirlpool-made Kenmore started dying 2 eeks ago. We will see next fall if there's any impact.

 

[Cybrvanr]

It depends on many things too, not just the age of the fridge, but it's mechanical condition. An old refrigerator could also have leaky gaskets, bad thermostats, dirty coils, malfunctioning defrost components and other issues that cause it to consume more energy than it did when it was new. You may be able to repair these issues, and get the refrigerator to save some energy.

This refrigerator situation sounds like what I was facing. I had an older Whirlpool that was about the same age, and was also a 20cu/ft top & bottom model. Using a Watts Up meter, it estimated that it would consume about $10 worth of electricity a month...130 KWH a month, or about 4.3 KWH a day. The "run" power was about 280 watts, and it's duty cycle was up in the 60% range.

I replaced it with a 15 cu/ft Frigidaire that is energy star compliant, and it uses about $2.00 or less a month. This averaged out to about 26 KWH a month, or about .85 KWH a day! This was significant savings that I found I would recoup in about 4-5 years.

Now, to be fair, the old fridge has some issues that need to be addressed, like the aforementioned defroster issues, and it could probably use a new gasket on the door too. Not to mention the fact that the new fridge is a bit smaller than the old one too! It's sitting in my garage right now, but is not turned on. I may eventually make some repairs to it, and just give it to someone who can use it, or I may turn it on during the rare occasion when I need some more cold storage space...but for right now, it's saving me money powered off! It does have one advantage over the new one and that is that it cools down particulary quick since it has a compressor about the size of one used in a room air conditioner!!!

I have noticed too that the new refrigerator has power factor correction on the compressor. The old one had a PF of around 80, but the new one is 99. The new compressor however sounds like it's laboring harder, and I did notice that it's startup surge is much longer, but less than the old fridge. (old one was 2200 watts for less than 250mSec where the new one is about 1400 watts for almost about a second, then it's 600 for another before settling down to about 80 watts) The new fridge also has the advantage of having a rear coil on it, instead of a bottom coil that has a fan.

With all those lamps in your refrigerator, you may want to look into replacing those bulbs with compact fluorescent or LED lamps. Those bulbs continue to radiate heat well after the door is closed, and the compressor has to pump it outta there!

One important factor to keep in mind however is if you are replacing a VERY old fridge, it probably will not give you significant energy savings. I'm talking about refrigerators from the fifties and earlier. These refrigerators are actually quite well insulated, and most do not have circulator fans, or energy wasting defroster coils. Most of the "energy hog" designs with thinner wall designs and stuff did not come out until the middle sixties. My vintage 1948 Frigidaire uses about 130 watts running, and costs only about 3.60 on average a year to operate!

 

[danemodsandy]

Manufacturing Takes Energy, Too

I'd like to point out that most major appliances (and cars!) take more energy to manufacture than they use during their life span. IF- and one needs to be realistic about this- one is using an older appliance judiciously, there might actually be less overall environmental impact than if one causes a new appliance to be manufactured.

On the other hand, if a high-drawing appliance like a refrigerator is in the home of a large, active family that uses it hard, then a new unit might well save energy overall.

All I'm saying here is that the idea of saving energy is a bit more complicated than today's "buy a new energy-saving model" mantra would suggest. You may also want to consider that appliances made in recent years are not being as long-lived as older ones, due to cheapening of mechanical parts and the reliance on electronics necessary to achieve some of the energy savings these appliances can deliver. So many people have bought new refrigerators, only to find out that their electronics cause reliability problems. That means a new reefer in many cases, and again, a new unit means that more energy must be used in its manufacture.

My own rule of thumb is that anything that breaks beyond repair represents energy wasted forever. Anything that breaks and can be fixed represents energy waste that can be prevented. Anything that lasts is a saving of the energy needed to make its replacement.

 

[badata]

i just bought a new fridge 2 months ago and my first bill showed a 60 dollar decrease!!!!!!

i had a 20 year old westinghouse and now have a brand new beautiful whirlpool

what a difference it made.

 

[tolivac]

I would be hesitant to replace an old box that is working-It is going to hurt the enviornment more in the long run -especially if everyone does it-all those fridges have to be "vamped"(refrigerants recovered in a safe manner)and the body scrapped.It would be better for users to replace gaskets,thermostats,rather than mindlessly replacing an otherwise good unit.However-do you really need that "beer and soda" fridge in the garage?Can the bottles fit in the main one-if they can that can save more energy-pass the garage box to someone who really needs it.Keep in mind a fridge sitting in a hot garage is going to need more energy then one sitting in the kitchen.As for the bulbs-the compact flourescents may not start in the cold fridge.the LED bulbs should be fine.

 

[bingwsguy]

30's, 40's, 50's.....

Does anyone have a refrigerator from the 30's, 40's, or 50's who can show it's energy consumption?

 

[gizmo]

a fridge using 3.86 kwh per day?

Holy guacamole, my whole house uses less than 1 kwh per day! (the fridge is gas, though, and not included in that figure.)

Chris.

 

[irishwashguy]

I guess that I had not thought of it that way before

I do not open my fridge very often, so it usually just sits and stays cold, however, it has made noises. It sounds like it is trying to start, and you can hear the Click, click, click, that would be a reason, that I had thought it was time for a new one, it still works, my old Cold spot in the Garage from the 60's works perfect.I bougt it 5 years ago;the old guy running the shop had replaced the compressor, which his machine tested the old compressor, and indicated that it was on its way out. He had also replaced the defrost timer with a newer one, now it works great. He also showed me something else that I found interesting..........In the back of his shop he had a group of 6 month old GE refrigerators that he retro fitting with defrost timers'the defrost timers, very old fashoned, very relaible.The new electronics had failed.These were BOL fridges, but still new.Not to mention that my Grandpa had a 1939 Fridgidaire in his basement from the other house that outlasted Him and Grandma. My Uncle Sunny still has it, it keeps the Soda cold. There are alot of factors to weigh I guess. My mothers new Amana cut her electric bill in the summer from 70 dollars per moth to 35 dollars per month with the new fridge..I would love to have a 35 dollar electric bill!
PS, my mom does not use Air conditioning in Summer, here in this part of the country, We have three days of unbearable heat, the rest moderate.

 

[sudsmaster]

I have a 40's GE fridge. I put a watt meter on it and estimated that it averages about 350 kWh/year.

 

[bingwsguy]

Rich

Thanks for that feedback. My next vintage buy is going to be a 40's refrig to go with my 40's range. I am still undecided on brand/styling. Any advice?

 

[kenwashesmonday]

My 1951 GE 2-door combination is running about 1.1 KW per day. That's a little over 400 KW per year. The door gets open often since all of our beer and soda is kept in it.

Ken

 

[sudsmaster]

I suggest leaving the fridge on the wattmeter for more than 24 hours to get a more accurate picture of actual energy consumption. That's because the auto defrost cycles on and off, and the time period tested might not have hit a defrost cycle.

A 100 watt bulb burning 7x24 will use 876 kWH/year. Modern refrigerators add other loads such as defrost, heated door seals, ice makers, lights, etc. A modern 25 cu ft energy star side by side fridge is probably rated at less than 600 kWH/year, although I haven't checked those figures since about 2002. I know when I replaced my '83 GE 25 cu ft sxs, GE told me it used 1,700 kWH/year. I replaced it with a KA of the same size which is rated at about 650 kWH/year (2001). I also replace a 78 GE top freezer that was rated at 1500 kWH/yr with a KA top freezer rated at less than 600 kWH/yr. After that, I saw a significant drop in my monthly electric consumption and an even bigger drop in my monthly bill, due to the progressive tiered rate system in place here.

 

[launderess]

That Brings Up A Questin That Has Been On My Mind

For quite some time.

When and why did refrigerators and or freezers go from aluminum or enamel covered metal shelves/walls to plastic. There has to be another reason besides plastics are cheaper.

One would think metals and enamels hold "cold" longer than plastic thus could maintain a given temp with less energy.

L.

 

[accapp]

Plastic compartment liners are especially easy to mfg very cheaply. They can be blow molded in a matter of seconds and the tooling can last virtually forever. Another advantage to plastics is they do not transfer heat as easily as metals, esp aluminum. The real efficiency gains for ref's has lately been improved insulation which keeps more heat where it belongs, outside the compartments.

 

[panthera]

"porcelain shortage"

I recall the Sears catalog moaning and groaning about a shortage of porcelain enamel and therefor all their Coldspots were going to plastic liners.
This was sometime in the sixties or very early 70's.
I believed it then, certainly don't today.
When I was teaching for B/S/H at the largest refrigeration factory in Europe, they had reached the point where they could use pre-painted steel (yay for Italian creativity) together with automated frame benders and assemblers to make the frame in seconds. The plastic liners were joined to the doors with the foam insulation in one easy process which formed the liner from a sheet of not-so-thin plastic, added the seal (now non-replaceable...) then bonded it all without warping.
Shelves of glass are laser cut...
The only "old" technology was the hand filling and brazing of the compressor. The robots weren't (yet) as good at even brazing using a minimum of heat and material.
Very rational, very fast and very good quality.
I counted 12 lightbulbs á 25 watts in my parent's new refrigeratior last summer. That is obscene. Am going to quietly replace with CFLs (in Colorado, low-temp CFLs are easy to buy and not extra-expensive). Four hundred watts (ok, .98*400=392 watts) just for lighting.

 

[rp2813]

40's Fridges

Hey Joe,

It seems to me like there are more GE fridges from the 40's out there still running great than any other brand. That would be a good choice. My advice, and this should be very easy to heed, is to steer clear of Westinghouse. It's not a reliability issue, it's a hardware issue. The design of the door handles on Westinghouse fridges from the late 40's is one that promotes failure, as after years of being yanked open the handle literally tears out of its housing and the entire assembly must be replaced, which these days is nearly impossible. This happened with my parents' 1949 Westy and it had a giant clamp and bolt holding the handle assembly together for many years after being relegated to the garage to keep drinks cold. Very unsightly. It seems most other makes had a better handle design.

Hope you find a 40's fridge you like. They're simple and reliable, and your best bet is to find one that's been in continuous operation.

Ralph