Electricity consumption: old and new refrigerator in comparison

With rising energy costs, the electricity consumption of your refrigerator should also be of interest to you. Although new appliances initially represent an investment, they can quickly pay for themselves through the electricity savings.

This is the power consumption of old and new refrigerators

The electricity consumption of your refrigerator also depends on the equipment as well as the size, of course.

• A new appliance in the best energy efficiency class currently consumes around 90 to 125 kilowatt hours (kWh) per year. Which, at a price of 31.81 cents per kWh, is roughly equivalent to 29 to 40 euros.
• Whereas a comparable model from 2002 costs about three times as much in annual electricity costs. With rising electricity prices, this difference can of course become even more serious.
• You can either measure the exact power consumption of your appliance using a suitable measuring socket or estimate the power consumption based on the information on the rating plate.
• Generally, you can assume that it is worth buying a new appliance if your old one is more than 10 years old.
• The prerequisite for this is, of course, that the new appliance has the best energy efficiency class. Then the purchase price will pay for itself within a few years.
• In addition to the electricity savings of a new appliance, Co2 is also saved, which in turn benefits the environment.

How to save energy

You can reduce the power consumption of your refrigerator with a few tips and tricks.

• First of all, the energy efficiency class should be mentioned. When buying a new appliance, you should therefore make sure that you buy one that is as efficient as possible.
• As the energy efficiency classes have changed as of March 2021, it is first worth getting an idea of the currently valid classes.
• In addition, size is also crucial. A full refrigerator consumes less energy than an almost empty appliance. Therefore, choose the size of your refrigerator according to your needs.
• You can also save energy with regard to the location of the refrigerator. The warmer the environment around the refrigerator, the more energy it consumes. So consciously choose the location beforehand.
• Defrost the freezer compartment as regularly as possible. Icing can increase the appliance’s electricity consumption by up to 30 per cent.
• Select the refrigerator temperature so that it suits your needs and let food cool down first before putting it in the refrigerator.
• Also, don’t leave the fridge open for too long, as this also increases electricity consumption.