Refrigerators

One of the worst energy offenders in your home is the refrigerator.  Depending on how old your fridge is you can expect to save hundreds.  Buying a new energy star rated refrigerator will save you 20% on your electric bill.  You can also take it a step further and buy a super energy efficient fridge that has a CEE tier-3 rating, which will save you 30%.  To find out the estimated savings you'll save by upgrading your fridge go to www.energystar.gov and find the refrigerators page and click on the energy star savings calculator link.  Refrigerators that have a top-mounted freezer save an added 10-25% less than side-by-side or bottom mounted freezers.  Also take into consideration the size of the fridge, don't buy a huge fridge with a bunch of special features if you aren't going to fill it because the bigger the model the more energy it uses.

Some other things to consider when living a green life style is where the refrigerator was manufactured.  Shop around for a brand manufactured in America and support the American worker.  Whirlpool, Maytag, GE are a few brands I know of that are made in America.  I also like to shop at a local discount store rather than a major appliance big-box center, you can usually find better prices and the sales people are more helpful and take the time to answer your questions.  When I think of the "Green Lifestyle" I think of the American dream, supporting America and your local American laborer.  Living a green lifestyle is all about purchasing products locally and supporting your community which is what being an American is truly all about.

I recently bought a refrigerator to cut down costs on my homes energy usage.  Our old fridge is from the 1980's and according to the energy star website the annual cost to run it is $320.27 and uses 1,709 kWh. The first thing I thought of was replacing my current model with one that was manufactured in America.  Once I found out what companies manufactured their refrigerators in America, I began looking at different models online paying attention to the energy star label to see how they differed.  I knew I wanted a top-mounted freezer as I learned they used less energy than other models.  I also payed attention to the features and shelves, I didn't want a lot of fancy features or cheap shelves that could easily break down.  As I did my research I became aware of models that were CEE Tier-3 certified which is the highest rating by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency.  Through the Super-Efficient Home Appliances Initiative CEE promotes energy-efficient refrigerators that use significantly less energy than the federal standards.  Once I found the model I wanted I looked online at several different appliance centers until I found the best price.  Of course I went to a local discount appliance store instead of a big brand store, they were very helpful and took the time to answer all our questions.  They did not have the size model I needed but were able to special order it for us, you probably wouldn't get that kind of service at Home Depot.  My new fridge is made by Maytag which manufactures their fridges in America, has sturdy shelves, stainless steel, and energy star tier-3.  The estimated annual cost to run it is $37 and uses only 345 kWh.

So the key things when purchasing a refrigerator are buy energy star, made in America, and from a local appliance center.  Always do your research online first and know your information and prices before heading to the store.  I'm proud to say that I bought a super energy-efficient refrigerator, made in America, and from my local discount appliance center.