Is Your Refrigerator Heating Up Your Energy Bill?

In this age of high energy costs and global warming we are all looking at ways to save. Whether you are trying to save money, help save the planet or better yet do both at the same time you have a lot of choices to make.

One of the biggest wasters of energy is your household appliances, according to Mother Earth News by replacing your old refrigerator with a new model could save you as much as $50 per year on your electric bill. Not only does replacing them save you money but by using less electricity that means using less non-renewable resources to produce the electricity. These days many of the appliances available are certified by the federal government as Energy Star certified. Essentially this means that it has been tested and uses as little energy as possible to operate. Each type of electrical product has its own guidelines for certification and the higher it is rated the more energy efficient it is.

One of the most common appliances used in your house is your refrigerator and if you are using one that is more than 16 years old then chances are it is costing you far more to run than it should. Starting in 1993 the government began its Energy Star program and manufacturers were required to build appliances that met certain federal standards. Today's refrigerators are at least 40% more efficient than those made in 2001. Even though they may cost more at the store they will save you a lot over the years in energy costs.

Realizing that every house and family has different needs in size and style of refrigerator here is a list of five of the highest rated refrigerators, according to the government, on the market today along with the efficiency rating compared to ones made in 2001.

1. Sun Frost model R-19, 16 cu. Ft. refrigerator with a single door and no freezer rated at 53% more efficient. This is the one at the top of the list.

2. Kenmore model 7683*40*, 18 cu. Ft. refrigerator freezer combo with the freezer on top rates 28% which puts it at the top of the fridge freezer list.

3. Sub-zero Inc. model B130USB 17 cu .ft. with a bottom freezer comes in at 27%, top of the bottom freezer units.

4. Kenmore model 4443*60*, 23 cu. Ft. is the top of the side by side list with a rating of 23%.

5. Gaggeneau model RF411700 8.4 cu. Ft. upright freezer rates at 43%, this is only a freezer but so many of us have one I thought I would include this in the list.

These are of course the most energy efficient units on the market at the moment but with new laws and new technologies coming all the time this list will change. Remember that the idea here is to give you an idea how to cut your power consumption thereby reducing your electric bill and you carbon footprint on the world.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator, www.carboncounter.org, www.energystar.gov.