06-13-2007, 02:14 PM
Please read my example on the previous thread.
In absolute dollar terms savings are small, and are unlikely to pay for the cost of a new fridge based on energy savings alone.
Since the big change in standards came in 1993, I'd not hesitate to buy a used fridge made after that date.
Even with the most efficient models the savings are very small - the cheapest $399 top-freezer model I saw today at a big-box store only used about 50kWh/year more than the most efficient model of the same size (using the energystar.gov site)
50kWh/year is very little money, well under $5 for most of us here.
Like I said, change out your old bulbs for CFLs first.
>You still need to realize that the cost of a new (or newer) refrigerator is small potatoes compared to the cost to operate an old refrigerator over its lifetime.
In absolute dollar terms savings are small, and are unlikely to pay for the cost of a new fridge based on energy savings alone.
Since the big change in standards came in 1993, I'd not hesitate to buy a used fridge made after that date.
Even with the most efficient models the savings are very small - the cheapest $399 top-freezer model I saw today at a big-box store only used about 50kWh/year more than the most efficient model of the same size (using the energystar.gov site)
50kWh/year is very little money, well under $5 for most of us here.
Like I said, change out your old bulbs for CFLs first.
>You still need to realize that the cost of a new (or newer) refrigerator is small potatoes compared to the cost to operate an old refrigerator over its lifetime.