Your fridge could be the reason behind the hefty electricity bill you receive at the end of each month. Refrigerators consume around 100–200 Watts of power and contribute to about 15% of the monthly bill.
One way you can make your power-hungry fridge more cost-effective is to enable it to become more energy efficient. In simple terms, energy efficiency in appliances means they use lesser energy to perform the same action. Here are 5 tips for more energy-efficient fridges in 2020.
BEE Star Rating
Created by the Indian Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), ‘BEE stars’- are a five-point rating system that rates how energy efficient your fridge is. BEE stars come printed as a 1–5-star rating on your refrigerator’s box, or as a sticker on the appliance itself.
The BEE star rating for most appliances takes the following factors into consideration:
- The British Thermal Unit (BTU): which measures the tonnage or proficiency of a fridge to cool.
- Energy Efficiency Rating (EER): measures the degree of cooling provided by a fridge when it per unit of power used.
5 BEE stars imply the appliance is extremely energy efficient and provides superior cooling at lower costs. A 3 BEE star rating implies that more energy is used by the fridge for the same amount of cooling. Ensure you take the BEE stars into consideration before purchasing your fridge.
Inverter Technology
Inverter technology was created in Japan for improving energy efficiency and reducing the noise levels of traditional refrigerators. Although they are more expensive, on average, fridges with inverter technology save 30%-50% more energy than a regular fridge. This could prove more cost-effective in the long run. Here’s how inverter technology works.
The compressors that exist in regular fridges work at the same capacity irrespective of the environment. On the other hand, inverter fridge compressors work at a higher load in summer and at a lower load in winter. Hence, by taking into account seasonal variations in temperature, the inverter fridge works to consume less electricity overall. Despite their energy-conscious technology, these fridges are not given a BEE star rating.
Look for LED
Whether you buy from the best refrigerator brands, most come equipped with LED lighting internally. LEDs are a much more energy-efficient source of light when compared to regular sources. The eco-technology in most LEDs also uses up to 20 times less power making it cost-effective for buyers. Hence, ensure your fridge comes preinstalled with LEDs.
Harsh lights inside archaic models of fridges can also affect the chemical composition of the food which is why the soft lighting from energy-efficient LEDs is more attractive. LEDs are known to emit less than 10 times the amount of heat in comparison to ordinary light sources. Lower heat prevents the food from growing stale due to lighting-related temperature changes.
Cool Environment
The heat from the outside surrounds can force your inverter fridge compressor to perform with more intensity, thereby taking more electrical power. Ensure that your fridge is positioned in a manner such that it is not affected by the heat from an oven, stove, or microwave. Also, ensure your refrigerator is not in a place where it is hit by direct sunlight.
Another key point is ventilation. Keep at least 5 cm of space on all sides of your fridge so it has room to breathe. Without a gap of air, your fridge will not have any space to release hot air from the compressor. Without this space, your refrigerator will grow heated and work harder to compensate for the outside temperature.
Keep Your Fridge Full
This might seem counterintuitive, but keeping your fridge stocked full with items makes it more energy efficient. The reason for this fact is simple. A better-stocked fridge has less surrounding air to cool, and hence can accomplish this on lower energy consumption.
Another reason is that when a fridge is sufficiently loaded, the different items help to keep each other cool. Ideally one should ensure that their refrigerator is at least 65% full. This may be difficult for those with large and the best double door fridges, however, the solution is to pack large fridges with jugs of water in both compartments.
Where To Buy Premium Refrigerators?
Are you seeking out the best eco-friendly refrigerators with the latest technology? With Bajaj Finserv EMI Network, you can shop for the best single, multi and double door fridges from brands like LG, Samsung, Haier, and Whirlpool and pay for them on easy EMIs. Customers who buy using the Bajaj Finserv EMI Network can avail the easy EMI facility and repay over a tenor of up to 24 months.
