How to Save Money Around the Kitchen - Refrigerators and Freezers

Everybody's looking to save money these days, and our households are one of our biggest expenses. Whether we live in a small apartment and pay rent or in a large house and pay a mortgage, we have to pay the utility and energy bills every month (unless you're lucky enough to still be living with mom and dad!). Some of the biggest energy hogs in the house are our appliances, and those that reside in the kitchen are the biggest culprits of all: the refrigerator and freezer.

Let's take a look at some ways to make our kitchen appliance use more efficient and save money by lowering our bills.

Saving Money with Refrigerators and Freezers

These kitchen appliances are always on, so it's no surprise that they are the biggest power drains in the house. We're not about to stop eating refrigerated foods, so there's no reasonable way to eliminate their use altogether (and who'd want to give up those nicely chilled sodas and beers anyway?). But we can make our refrigerators and freezers more efficient. Here's how:

1. Keep your freezer full

It costs more to keep an empty freezer cold than a full one, so it pays to keep your unit stuffed full of frozen goods. If it's looking a little bare in between grocery trips, fill it with bags of ice to make it run more efficiently. This simple fix can save you $75 a year.

2. Keep the doors closed

Do you ever stand in front of the refrigerator with the door wide open while you ponder what to eat? You know that cold whoosh of air that embraces you while you're there? That's all the air your refrigerator worked so hard to chill falling out onto the floor (really--heat rises and cold air sinks, so the cold air literally falls out when you open the fridge or freezer). Once you've taken your sweet time selecting your snack, the refrigerator has to kick into high gear in order to chill the air inside again.

The obvious answer is to open the door as seldom as possible, and when you do go into the fridge, quickly get the item you need and close the door again. Keep track of what's in the refrigerator (it helps to always store the same types of items on the same shelf or in the same bin), so you don't have to get down on your knees and root around to look for things.

You can save more than $50 a year simply by opening your freezer and refrigerator doors fewer times a day.

3. Adjust the temperature

Your foods may not need to be as cold as you think. Most people set their refrigerator thermostats close to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, but setting the temperature no higher than 40 degrees still keeps food fresh, while saving you $25 a year in energy.

4. Choose a chest freezer

Many large families choose to keep an extra freezer in the garage or on a service porch. Instead of getting an upright freezer for this, choose a chest-style model. Remember what we said about cold air falling out of upright models? Well that doesn't happen with chest models, since you open the door from above. Chest freezers are as much as twice as efficient as upright freezers, and making this simple choice can save you $50 a year.

5. Pass on the ice-maker if you're buying a new fridge

I know, ice makers are awesome. I always enjoy them when I visit friends who have them integrated into their refrigerators, but not only do you save money on the initial purchase when you buy a unit without these models, but you save money on your monthly bills too. Ice makers use about 300 kilowatt-hours a year in energy costs (this is in addition to your regular refrigerator/freezer requirements), and I can tell you from first-hand experience that refrigerators with automatic ice makers need repairs more often than standard units.

There you go: a few ways to save money in the kitchen by making smart use of your refrigerator and freezer usage.

The author writes on numerous home improvement topics. Visit her blogs to read more: Home Improvement Ideas and Living Off the Urban Grid.

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5 Essential Tips For Buying Wine Refrigerators

So you are tired of storing wine at unwanted temperatures? It is one of the most common problems of all lovers of wine, and even for the occasional consumers. The room temperature is not low enough, and the normal refrigerator chills the wine too much. The desired temperature level is somewhere in between. Wine refrigerators solve this problem elegantly.

A wine refrigerator would create just the desired temperature for you to store the wine. A good one would also last long and keep providing the same level of cooling consistently through its life. So if you are planning to buy your own wine cooling unit, you must take a few essential details into account.

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  Storage amount: Make sure that you have an idea of approximately how many bottles of wine you would want to store in the cooler at a given time. This will help you plan the budget for the fridge as well as decide the placement of the gadget. For example, a 12-bottle cooling unit is a smaller one compared to the 36-bottle one, and it is cheaper too.


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  Noise levels: All the fridges will appear to be quiet initially and all of them will be claimed to be quiet ones by the manufacturers. But the reality is different - not every motor remains equally quiet. And a loud wine refrigerator is a much more of a nightmare than you would probably imagine. So go for recommended wine refrigerators only rather than random ones.


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  Usability features: Understand the features on the offer. Determine the ones that you need, and the ones that would be the best for your wine. Act accordingly. For example, check the energy use, temperature and humidity controls and door swing. You may want to look for dual zone refrigerators - these are equipped with preset temperature controls for compatibility with different kinds of wine.


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  Durability: This is important for you if you want your wine cooler refrigerator to last long. Does the motor or the body rust? Is the motor warranted and does it come with sufficiently good track record and reputation? What is the general warranty coverage?


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  Style, color and finish: Make sure that you have a nice-looking unit. You would want your wine refrigerator to be a piece that makes you proud to show others. Make sure that you like the style, color and finishing touches. Go for a fridge that matches or contrasts with the current coloring scheme that you have - that may make it look better.

What next?
Now is the time to explore the good options for a wine refrigerator. Read on at the following link for reviews of the best ones are of today: wine refrigerator reviews.

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Amana Refrigerators - A Wide Array of Shapes and Sizes

Most of the Amana refrigerators have a depth of between twenty-three inches and twenty-seven inches. Homeowners choose these units as they blend into any kitchen design. There will be no need for complex processes for installation when you purchase one. Most of the deep units feature French style doors, and these are basically a combination of a freezer design on the bottom and a side-by-side door.

The models that feature French doors are known for the built-in ice and water dispensers. These features can be found in the interior of the unit or it may be in the door. Both of the styles of dispensers are available in some models of refrigerator. The shallow depth Amana refrigerators are very often confused with the built-in ones. These have a large height and also a large width.

Some feature energy star ratings and show what power consumption the appliance uses. Some of the refrigerators are more expensive than others therefore it is important to look around at what is available prior to actually purchasing one of the models. The range of Amana refrigerators also features some products that are environmentally friendly; therefore, regardless of what you are looking for there will be something suitable within this range.

Choosing the correct refrigerator will depend on your individual requirements. It can be difficult selecting the most appropriate appliance, as there is a vast amount of different models to choose from. It is very important to invest wisely when you purchase one of the Amana refrigerators. It is important to look at what is available for your storage requirements and budget, as this will make it slightly easier.

Unlike the free standing units the shallow refrigerators are designed to be mounted onto cabinets. If you are short on space in your kitchen then it is important to remember that the Amana refrigerators come in a wide array of shapes and sizes and this includes some compact ones. The sizes range from dorm sized refrigerators to apartment sized refrigerators. There are some products that are recommended for offices, boarding rooms and also games rooms. These small refrigerators are ideal if you only want to store a couple of items in them.

One of the most popular brands is the Amana compact refrigerator. From time to time you could suffer from operational problems. Repair methods may vary from one model to another therefore it is important to understand the basic concepts of how the refrigerator system actually works. It is also a very good idea to become familiar with the dealers that sell the replacement parts for refrigerator models. Knowing who stocks the parts for your appliance will make it easier to source the parts when you require them.

Click here http://www.interweb-articles.com/amana-refrigerators for great deals on Amana Refrigerators

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All About Energy Star Bottom Freezer Refrigerators

It used to be that the only kind of refrigerator you could get had a full sized door and had a freezer on the top. Now there is a much more convenient type of refrigerator - the bottom freezer refrigerator. The best versions of this refrigerator are the energy star bottom freezer refrigerators, since these also save you money on your energy bill by using 15 to 50 percent less energy than other refrigerators.

The reason many people like the energy star bottom freezer refrigerator design is that most people go looking in the refrigerator for things much more often than they get things out of the freezer. Putting the freezer underneath the refrigerator instead of the other way around puts all the things they most commonly reach for at a very convenient height. This limits the amount of time people spend bending down to get things out of the refrigerator.

Amana, Blomberg, Bosch, Dacor, GE, General Electric, Haeir, Hotpoint, Jenn-Air, Kenmore, KitchenAid, LG Electronics, Liebherr, Maytag, Miele, Profile, Samsung, Siemens, Sub-Zero, Inc., Summit, Thermadoor, and Whirlpool all have options for those interested in this type of freezer-refrigerator. The more commonly known major brands have more choices in this type of refrigerator than most of the smaller or lesser known companies mentioned above, but all are worth looking into if you want to find the perfect refrigerator for you.

These refrigerators usually cost between $800 and $3,000, depending on the brand and style of appliance you choose. For those who want to get really fancy there is the KitchenAid 20.5 Cubic Feet Architect Series II Built-In Bottom Mount Refrigerator in Stainless Steel, which costs over $6,000. One of the most affordable options is the GE 20.3 Cubic Feet model in Bisque, Black or White for about $850. As you can see, there are options for most any price range with this type of refrigerator-freezer , with the majority of these refrigerators falling in the $1,000 to $2,000 price range.

You can find most of the options you are looking for when you go shopping for this type of kitchen appliance. You can get full doors, French doors, or armoire style refrigerators. You can get an energy-efficient refrigerator model with a water and ice dispenser in the door. There are a variety of colors available as well, with the most common being stainless steel, black, and white, though biscuit, bisque, platinum, and stainless look colors are also available.

It is important also to keep in mind that most of the major distributors/resellers of these types of appliances have yearly, seasonal sales - in many parts of the country, this occurs during the winter months - so keep in mind that if you can afford to 'wait' for a few months, you can take advantage of further deep discounting. If you know that your existing refrigerator is soon to go out, do what you can to keep it going until one of these major sales comes to a store in your area.

Hwang Keum-OK owns and operates http://www.energyefficientappliances.wordpress.com/ -- Stop by for more great reading...That website again is: Energy Efficient Appliances.

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10 Steps to Help Refrigerators Live Longer

Every summer there are countless refrigerators that die unexpectedly. This is often due to the increase in temperature and the associated humidity. The following are a few suggestions to help your appliance make it through the next summer heat wave.

1. Don't use as an air conditioner. You may laugh, but this is particularly common with the elderly. They often leave the refrigerator door open in the hope of cooling the room. Or they may stand in front of the refrigerator trying to get cool themselves. A chair left sitting in front of the refrigerator is a sure sign.

2. Don't overload defrost system. Keep containers of water or juice sealed. Open containers of liquid will increase the amount of moisture deposited onto the cooling coil. This will cause the compressor to run longer. Run times of 16 hours per day are normal for refrigerators. Extra moisture could easily increase this to 20 hours per day.

3. Turn off icemaker. Icemakers will produce a harvest every four to six hours. This is more ice than most families can consume. All the exposed ice cubes will stress the refrigerator in hot weather. Turn off the icemaker until more is required. Depending upon the size of ice bucket, you will probably only need to turn it on every few days.

Put new ice cubes into a sealed container rather than leaving exposed in the ice bucket.

Have even seen a customer turn off icemaker and cover the ice bucket with plastic wrap. They left the front of bucket open enough to grab cubes when needed. Customer claimed this idea made ice cubes last longer, and refrigerator run less.

4. Doors not sealing properly. Gaskets full of holes or cracks allow warm air to enter. Or gaskets that are not clean may not seal properly. Clean surfaces with light detergent and warm water.

To test the gaskets use a dollar bill. While holding dollar bill against cabinet close door so that gasket seals. Pull the dollar bill out. It should have a resistance to being pulled out from under gasket. Use this method to test full perimeter. Resistance felt should be uniform around whole gasket.

5. Door warped. When the refrigerator door closes it should seal along its full length. If it seals at one point, but not another, the door itself may be warping out of alignment. This will need to be corrected by a service company. Until they get there try closing the door firmly (close hard, but don't slam shut). This will often force door to realign temporarily.

6. Don't overload. A standard refrigerator can accept about 50 pounds of new food per day. If you are overloading the food may appear not to cool properly. For example: Why add a whole case of warm soda to a refrigerator on a hot day. Add only what is required for that day. Add extra beverages just before bedtime. The refrigerator will have all night to cool them down.

7. Don't overload door shelves. Modern refrigerators can have extremely large door shelves that are easily overloaded. Heavy items such as glass bottles or large soda containers should be moved inside. The weight may be pulling the door away from the cabinet. This can cause the gasket to stretch until small openings appear at the corners of the gasket. Warm air can enter.

8. Teach children refrigerator etiquette. Children are notorious for standing in front of the freezer door trying to decide which treat to take. Even a few minutes with the door open can cause the refrigerator stress. Every time it is opened the cold air will roll out. As it rolls out the warmer room air will enter the refrigerators interior. This warm air invasion forces the appliance to run longer trying to produce more cold air.

9. Don't block air circulation. Remove bags, brooms, trays, etc, from the space between outside of refrigerator and surrounding walls. Refrigerator must be allowed to circulate air around itself. Blocking the airflow will cause the compressor to overheat. An overheated compressor can quickly burn out. If refrigerator temperature suddenly becomes erratic suspect the compressor is overworking.

10. Keep level. If not level the cabinet can go out of square. This is particularly important with newer refrigerators because they have very little internal bracing. If not properly leveled the cabinet can start to lean. This will affect door alignment and closing.

Doing the above will certainly help your refrigerator make it through the heat. The last suggestion is to simply keep your fingers crossed. Because, if Mother Nature decides to send us the full strength of her heat wave that is all that may save your refrigerator from joining the others in the great landfill in the sky.

Copyright 2005 by Donald Grummett. All right reserved.

Donald Grummett is an appliance service manager in Ottawa, Canada. In the trade over 30 years as a technician, business owner, and technical trainer. Learn more invaluable information about your household appliances by visiting http://www.mgservices.ca

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