{"id":35561,"date":"2019-04-15T12:24:27","date_gmt":"2019-04-15T19:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/?page_id=35561"},"modified":"2019-04-23T11:09:38","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T18:09:38","slug":"appliances","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/ways-to-save\/energy-efficiency-tips\/appliances\/","title":{"rendered":"Appliances"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re like most people, chances are your refrigerator\/freezer is one of the largest energy users in your home, gobbling up about 8% of your household\u2019s annual energy costs. Why? Because it requires electricity to operate, and it\u2019s on 24 hours a day using between 100 and 200 kilowatt hours a month.<\/p>\n

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  1. Keep it maintained \u2014 A refrigerator works best when it has been properly maintained. Check the door seals and if one is cracked, or cold air is leaking out, the seal should be replaced.<\/li>\n
  2. Unplug it \u2014 Some people keep their old refrigerator or freezer in the garage, but if it isn\u2019t filled to capacity, you could be wasting as much as 2,400 kilowatt hours a year for an extra refrigerator, or up to 1,200 kilowatt hours a year for an extra freezer.<\/li>\n
  3. Use the proper temperature settings \u2014 Check your thermostat controls. To work most efficiently your refrigerator should be set between 38\u00b0 F and 40\u00b0 F and the freezer at 0\u00b0 F.<\/li>\n
  4. Go for high efficiency \u2014 Newer more efficient refrigerators use half as much energy as many older models of the same size, so they cost half as much to operate. Be sure to compare cubic footage and purchase price, as well as estimated operating costs. An older 19-cubic-foot refrigerator with a top freezer uses approximately 450 kilowatt hours per month, while a new high efficiency model may reduce that consumption by 50%. The Energy Guide label can help you in your decisions.<\/li>\n
  5. Defrost regularly \u2014 If you have a manual defrost freezer don\u2019t forget to defrost it regularly.<\/li>\n
  6. More than \u00be\u201d of frost makes your freezer work harder to keep your food frozen.<\/li>\n
  7. Keep it clean \u2014 Dirty condenser coils could lead to higher operating costs. Coils, found on the back or bottom of the refrigerator, should be vacuumed and checked at least twice a year.<\/li>\n
  8. Keep it level \u2014 A refrigerator that\u2019s not level may cause the door gasket to seal improperly letting the cold air leak out. Set a glass of water on the top and adjust the legs until the unit looks level.<\/li>\n
  9. Keep it cool \u2014 Refrigerators should be kept in a well ventilated, dry, and cool place. Refrigerators and freezers near ovens, stoves, water heaters, clothes dryers, or other crowded or warm places work harder to keep things cold.<\/li>\n
  10. Keep it closed \u2014 A refrigerator works more efficiently when you open the door as infrequently as possible. So make your decisions before you open the door and get everything you need quickly and at one time.<\/li>\n
  11. Keep foods covered \u2014 Covering foods will reduce moisture build-up on the inside of the refrigerator. Also, wipe moisture from bottles and other containers before placing them in the refrigerator.<\/li>\n
  12. Keep the heat out of your refrigerator \u2014 Before you store leftovers in the refrigerator or freezer allow them to cool slightly. Your refrigerator or freezer won\u2019t have to work as hard to cool them.<\/li>\n
  13. Flip that switch \u2014 You can save energy by keeping the Energy Saver Switch turned on (which actually turns the anti-sweat heater off). Anti-sweat heaters prevent moisture build-up on the outside of a refrigerator. Check your owner\u2019s manual for directions on your model\u2019s switch.<\/li>\n
  14. Keep it full \u2014 Refrigerators operate most efficiently when they are full, but not overloaded. It\u2019s true that frozen foods help to keep the air cool, but too much food in either compartment can prevent cold air from circulating properly. Refer to your owner\u2019s manual for the correct capacity.<\/li>\n
  15. Don\u2019t cool it if you aren\u2019t going to save it \u2014 Why cool something you\u2019ll probably throw out anyway? If you\u2019re going away for a few days, get rid of foods that are likely to spoil. If you are going to be gone for more than a month, consider cleaning your refrigerator, unplugging it and leaving the doors open. Some older models are impossible to open from the inside and are a hazard for children and pets. Also, older models may have difficulty restarting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If you\u2019re like most people, chances are your refrigerator\/freezer is one of the largest energy users in your home, gobbling up about 8% of your household\u2019s annual energy costs. Why? Because it requires electricity to operate, and it\u2019s on 24 hours a day using between 100 and 200 kilowatt hours a month. Keep it maintained…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":35553,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2024-05-05 00:14:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35561"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35561"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35561\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35553"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tpud.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35561"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}