I have been getting some encouragement (pressure) from my wife to buy a new refrigerator to replace my grandmothers 40 year old refrigerator. The idea is that it will be quieter and save a lot of energy.
When I go to look at appliances and then look up some of the reviews I read a lot of bad experiences on newer refrigerators. Broken shelves, torn gaskets, and difficulty getting service are a few of the things I read about.
The current refrigerator doesn’t look bad, has durable shelves and drawers and keeps stuff cold enough. The down side is that it is noisy, doesn’t match the newer stainless cooktop and stainless dw. It also is presumably consuming more electricity than necessary.
My last refrigerator had a compressor/refrigerant failure at 6 years (kenmore bottom freezer) that was allegedly unrepairable. I am starting to wonder if the old refrigerators are actually saving money as they last so long they are cheaper in the long run even if they do use more electricity. Furthermore saving the raw materials going into the new fridge and the waste generated by trashing the old fridge should factor into whether or not it is cost effective to replace.
In this situation the money is there to buy a new one if a good argument for replacement exists. I just hate to replace a working appliance that has needed zero repairs with a contemporary unit that may be less reliable.
Can anyone persuade me to buy a new fridge to save money/energy (if both electricity consumption and cost of the new unit are taken into account)?
Thanks, Karl
Replies
You are asking the wrong guy here - my refrigerator is 25 years old, never had any repairs and still working fine.
It was purchased new for the kitchen remodel in our house #1, moved to house #2 where it was kept and re-installed in remodeled kitchen #2. We kept it because "it can't last much longer, when it dies we will replace it with a matching appliance." It is still going strong.
If DW simply must have a new matching one - never trash a working appliance.
There is always a need for appliances - just may take some looking to find the agency / group that can find someone to use it.
Goodwill, Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, maybe your local Habitat for Humanity has a "Restore" - just a few places to get you started.
I always donate any working kitchen appliances plus sinks, faucets, 1.6gal toilets, etc. that I tear out with my remodeling work - homeowners sometime ask for a donation receipt but usually not - they are happy that someone else can use their "junk". Kitchen cabinets can sometimes be donated to Habitat Restore - but they are usually overstocked and the old cabinets end up in the customer's basement or the dump.
Jim
If you are wondering how much energy the refrigerator you have is using you can buy a gizmo that will tell you. I have a thing called "Kill a Watt" that I got on ebay. Then, comparing those numbers with the sticker on a new refrigerator, you will know what your potential savings will be. If it's anything like the refrigerator I got rid of it will be around $30 - $40 per month.
Does the Kill a Watt measure the watts consumed over a given time period factoring in that the compressor doesn't run constantly? If so I will give this a try.Thanks
Karl
It's basically a KW meter that you can plug into an outlet. Do a search on ebay.
Yes, records power consumption over measured time, however long you want to leave it set up. Tells you KWH and the length of time. Resets on elec outages however.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Same as Link, I used a Kill-A-Watt to compare our old refrigerator with the new ones. Payback under 4 years. Then, depending on POV, free operation.
To check, I plugged the new one into the Kill-A-Watt to make sure it was performing as promised. It was.
I was unable to find anywhere in Va any of the better efficiency refrigerators, had to settle for one in the lower third of the efficiency range.
Kill-A-Watt will run you around 20 bucks. Great tool. PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Thanks for the reply. I have a kill a watt around here somewhere. I always thought it was just an ammeter/voltmeter in a homeowner friendly case. Given your results I get the impression it must measure the cumulative usage over a measured time period as well since the compressor only runs as needed.Karl
Given your results I get the impression it must measure the cumulative usage over a measured time period as well since the compressor only runs as needed
Yup, there's a timer in there to measure the test period. Dig it out, plug it in, and compare specs.
I ran my old fridge for a couple of weeks to get a good average. Obviously, longer is better, but even a short averaging period will give you a good comparison to the new models. And if you do get a new model, test it to make sure it's working correctly.
Great tool.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I had a two and a half year payback on mine when i bought.
The dishwasher, fridge, washing machine and (gas) dryer came with our new house. All were around 20 yrs old - working but noisy. A year after we moved in I replaced them and immediately cut the electric bill in half. Most of that was the fridge.
We replaced a 1965 Hotpoint fridge and a 1951 Coldspot chest freezer two years ago. More useable capacity in slightly smaller boxes and our electric consumption dropped dramatically. Payback figured to be about three years or less IIRC.
If you can get a no or few limitations extended warranty with the unit when you buy then do so.
My first fridge needed gaskets, it was covered, needed compressor at 8 years, it was covered.
New house and a new wide by side. the freezer door is rusting where the hole was cut for the water/ice dispenser, would have been covered but I don't have the warranty, and Maytag don't care cause it 5 years old.
The new units are cheaper to run unless you have people keep opening the door to look for food or snacks even if nobody went shopping since the last time they looked !
The manufacturers make a case for the new ones paying for themselves in energy savings but I don't really believe it. My last freezer was from the Avocado green era and it just shot craps last year. I have not noticed any change in the power bill with the new one eithe rway.
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I have a lot of perspectives to consider at this point. Personally I was leaning towards your conclusion of less than dramatic differences in power consumption. Given all the preceeding testimonials of a very significant drop in electric useage I better dig out my Kill A Watt and see just how much the current model is actually using over a measured time period.I appreciate all the additional replies and at this point just need to gather some actual usage figures.Thanks,
Karl
I read a story recently about a movement to get people to get rid of the old beer frig in the garage due to their energy use...time to pimp the garage and get a new kegerator.
Bass,
The Coolerator Flavor Saver "beer" fridge in our garage was purchased by my Father in law in May of 1951. Has never missed a lick and I dont care if it does use up a few more electrons, its not going anywhere :)
Our Kenmore in the house was purchased in our first house 1976. We moves it with us to the present house in 1978 and have no plans for replacement.Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md