Refrigerator

Move your refrigerator out from the wall and vacuum its condenser coils once a year unless you have a no-clean condenser model. Your refrigerator will run for shorter periods with clean coils.

Make sure your refrigerator door seals are air tight. Test them by closing the door over a dollar bill. If you can pull the bill out easilly, the latch may need to be adjusted or the seal may need to be replaced.

Position your refrigerator away from sunny windows, hot water heaters, warm air from heating ducts, radiators, stoves and other heat sources. The heat makes cooling harder for your refrigerator.

A full refrigerator uses less energy to operate than an empty one.

If your refrigerator is more than 10 years old, consider replacing it. New refrigerators today use half the energy of 10-year-old refrigerators and Energy Star labeled refrigerators are even more efficient. Some use 15% less energy than required by federal guidelines.

Refrigerators with the freezer on top are more efficient than those with freezers on the side.

Replacing the seals on your refrigerator is not hard and can make a big improvement in the aplliances efficiency (and appearance). Replacement seals are often available at many home goods store and through the maker of the unit. One tip for using these replacement seals is to warm them before installing, this removes the crimps that often occur from their packaging. A few minutes in the clothes dryer should do the trick.

Look for a refrigerator with automatic moisture control. Models with this feature have been engineered to prevent moisture accumulation on the cabinet exterior without the addition of a heater. This is not the same thing as an “anti-sweat” heater. Models with an anti-sweat heater will consume 5% to 10% more energy than models without this feature.

When the weather gets cold, take advantage of the situation. Free up space in your refrigerator by storing your canned goods and sodas in an unheated garage or outside a backdoor.

Don’t keep your refrigerator or freezer too cold. Recommended temperatures are 37° to 40°F for the fresh food compartment of the refrigerator and 5°F for the freezer section. If you have a separate freezer for long-term storage, it should be kept at 0°F.