11 Ways to Increase the Efficiency of Your Refrigerator

Kris EscuetaDecember 28, 20230

Your refrigerator likely runs 24/7 and can account for up to 15% of your household’s total energy use. By optimizing your fridge’s efficiency, you can save energy and money on your power bills. This comprehensive guide covers 11 tips and tricks to boost the efficiency of your refrigerator.

Why Refrigerator Efficiency Matters

Before jumping into the efficiency tips, let’s look at why it’s worthwhile to optimize your fridge:

Refrigerators are energy-intensive appliances, using about 500-800 kWh per year on average.
By using less energy, you’ll save money on utility bills. Electricity costs around 10-15 cents per kWh on average.
More efficient fridges generate less greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. So you reduce your carbon footprint.
Many of these tips require little effort to implement but offer solid returns on investment.

Now let’s get into the 11 ways you can improve your refrigerator’s efficiency.

1. Set Optimal Temperatures

The first step is setting your refrigerator and freezer to the proper temperatures. Here are the recommended settings:

Appliance	Temperature
Refrigerator	35° to 38°F
Freezer	0°F

At 35-38°F, the refrigerator compartment keeps food safely chilled to prevent spoilage and bacteria growth. Any lower wastes energy.
0°F ensures the freezer won’t thaw your frozen goods while saving energy.

Use a refrigerator-freezer thermometer to monitor the interior temperatures. Adjust the temperature controls as needed to maintain the target levels. Replace old thermometers that become decalibrated.

2. Regularly Clean Condenser Coils

Condenser coils allow your refrigerator to transfer heat from the interior compartments to the outside environment. But accumulated dust and lint block airflow and make heat transfer much less efficient.

Cleaning the condenser coils is an easy way to boost efficiency by up to 30%, per ENERGY STAR® estimates. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Shut off the fridge’s power supply – This ensures safety while cleaning near electrified components.
Carefully pull the refrigerator away from the wall – This allows access to coils mounted at the lower backside. Protect floors from potential scratches.
Use a brush, duster or vacuum to gently lift away dust and debris from the coils.
Carefully replace the refrigerator once finished cleaning.
Turn the power back on and monitor temperatures over subsequent days, as cleaning can improve cooling performance.

Perform this maintenance every 6-12 months as coils get re-clogged over time. If you have pets shedding frequently indoors, check coils more often.

3. Minimize Door Open Time

Every time you open your refrigerator/freezer door, up to 30% of the compartment’s cold air escapes. The fridge then runs harder to cool things back down after you shut the door.

To minimize energy loss through the open door:

Plan out trips to gather everything needed in one swift visit vs. multiple door openings.
Bring items to/from the fridge quickly. Don’t leave doors sitting open.
Keep contents organized so you don’t shuffle items hunting for something.

Installing clear storage bins helps you locate foods without totally exposing the interior.

4. Right-Size Your Refrigerator

Oversized refrigerators cost more to purchase and run. A unit too large for your household’s needs constantly works to cool excess empty space.

When shopping for fridges, think critically about your:

Household size – Family of 4 or more? Smaller household?
Cooking/storage habits – Cook & meal prep frequently or occasionally?
Desired features – Through-the-door water? Freezer drawer?

Using these considerations, choose the smallest refrigerator meeting your needs – no larger. This sizing guide helps pick properly-fitted units. For small spaces, compact mini fridges work well.

Replacing an aging oversized refrigerator with a right-sized model cuts energy use by 10-25%, per ENERGY STAR®.

5. Disable the Ice Maker if Unused

Automatic ice makers offer convenience but use extra electricity. If you don’t utilize ice frequently:

Turn off the ice maker via its onboard control switch or your refrigerator’s settings menu.
Occasionally fill ice cube trays by hand as needed.

With the feature disabled, you avoid wasting energy chilling and circulating water to continuously refill ice trays automatically. Just flip the switch on again if your ice needs spike during hot months or parties.

6. Routinely Defrost Freezers

As your freezer operates, ice continually develops along the interior walls and components. Excess frost and ice act as insulation that reduces cooling capabilities.

It’s important to periodically defrost freezers for maximum energy efficiency:

Initiate the manual defrost process when ice reaches ~1/4 inch thickness.
Turn off the freezer, empty contents into coolers, use towels to capture meltwater.
Leave the door propped open until fully defrosted.
Wipe down the interior, restart device and reload contents.

Frost-free freezers automatically run defrost cycles, but still benefit from occasional full manual defrosting. Shoot to defrost once or twice per year.

7. Keep Refrigerator Fully Stocked

A lightly-stocked or near-empty refrigerator requires more energy to maintain cool temperatures. Why? With less thermal mass inside, warmer external air rushing in during door openings has an outsized impact.

Maximize efficiency by keeping your refrigerator as full as reasonably possible:

Consolidate items like beverages, condiments and leftovers into as few storage containers as practical inside the fridge.
Store water containers like jugs and bottles in the fridge – the thermal mass helps stabilize temps.
If you simply don’t routinely stock a large refrigerator, add large water-filled containers on empty shelves. This supplements thermal mass to enable efficient cooling.

Just be sure not to tightly pack shelves to allow adequate internal airflow.

8. Inspect Door Seals

Refrigerator door seals close off the cabinet walls when shut, trapping cold air inside. But over years of wear and tear, seals can crack or gaps can emerge along the seal-cabinet interface.

Inspect seals annually:

Visually check for signs of deterioration like cracking, brittleness, discoloration or deformities along the seals’ length.
Run your fingers along seals to feel for even the smallest gaps between the rubber and adjacent walls.
Try closing a dollar bill in the door with about an inch protruding – if you meet resistance pulling it out, seals likely remain snug.

Replace worn seals that leak cold air. DIY seal replacements cost just $30-60 in parts.

9. Allow Air Circulation Behind Refrigerator

Just like your fridge relies on coils to dissipate interior heat outside, sufficient clearance behind the unit facilitates external airflow.

Leave a 3 inch gap between the refrigerator’s rear panel and adjacent walls. Avoid squeezing units into narrow nooks surrounded by cabinetry or flush to back walls. This enables heated air to readily escape from the compressor and coils out to ambient space. Insufficient clearance causes heat buildup that makes cooling systems work extra hard.

While shopping, measure intended installation spaces to pick appropriately sized fridges. Standard counter depth models need just 30 inches clearance while larger units may require 36 inches.

10. Use Proper Food Storage Containers

The types of food containers inside your refrigerator impact cooling efficiency in a couple of key ways:

Material – Glass and ceramic containers don’t trap odors/flavors and maintain temperatures better than some plastics.

Airflow – Loose-fitting lids allow better circulation of cool air than rigid, snap-shut tops.

Condensation – Containers prone to “sweating” make the refrigerator work harder to dehumidify while increasing the risk of spoiled food.

With these factors in mind:

Prioritize glass food storage containers where possible
Ensure lids fit properly but avoid snap/lock-tight seal varieties
Avoid opening containers directly upon pulling from the fridge to minimize condensation

Proper storageware keeps contents chilled evenly without sweating, supporting efficient operation.

11. Stick to Regular Maintenance

Every 6 months:

Clean condenser coils
Inspect door seals for wear
Defrost freezers if needed
Double-check temperature settings

Annually:

Replace air filters if your refrigerator has them
Vacuum out dust from hard-to-reach vents
Check the compressor just for any odd sounds indicating potential issues

Set reminders on your calendar, as regular refrigerator upkeep is essential for sustained efficiency.

Summary of 11 Tips to Boost Refrigerator Efficiency

No.	Action	Purpose	Expected Savings
1	Adjust temperature settings	Maintains optimal interior temps	5-10% energy savings
2	Clean condenser coils	Enables effective heat dissipation	Up to 30% savings
3	Minimize door openings	Reduces escaped cold air	Varies
4	Right-size your refrigerator	Avoids cooling excess space	10-25% savings
5	Disable ice maker if unused	Eliminates excess equipment runtime	Varies
6	Defrost freezer regularly	Boosts freezing effectivness	5-10% savings
7	Keep refrigerator fully stocked	Stablizes temps via thermal mass	3-5% savings
8	Inspect door seals	Checks for cold air leaks	5-10% savings
9	Allow rear ventilation	Facilitates hot air escape	3-5% savings
10	Use proper storage containers	Maintains food temps evenly	1-2% savings
11	Follow maintenance schedule	Sustains optimal operations	10-30% savings

Cool Savings

Following these 11 tips requres little time investment but can cut your refrigerator’s electricity use by up to 30%. The efficiency gains reduce power bills each month while lowering associated carbon emissions.

Some actions like cleaning coils take just minutes at regular intervals. Others like right-sizing units provide lasting benefits when replacing outdated appliances.

While our refrigerators rarely cross our minds once installed, optimizing performance delivers continual savings for years on end. So put these 11 tricks into action to shrink both your fridge’s energy appetite and household power costs!