Reply #13: Amen to that

[LiberalEsto]

In January we replaced a 10-year-old Maytag refrigerator (which was forever having problems - the brand has gone completely downhill) with a new energy efficient Kenmore that was on sale.

I did a lot of research at the Energy Star web site and on consumer ratings to pick it, then waited until the model I wanted was on sale.

Our monthly KW usage has been cut by about 33%. It runs almost soundlessly and keeps food much better and longer. It cost about $800.

One other thing we did that helped cut electric usage with the new refrigerator. We never connected the automatic icemaker, which uses a lot of power.

Since the kids moved out and it's just me and DH, we don't use a lot of ice. I picked up two nice lidded Tupperware ice cube trays for next to nothing at a yard sale, and that's enough ice for us.

Refrigerators use an unbelievable amount of energy, especially old ones. Hanging on to an old refrigerator as a beer cooler is a huge waste of electricity. Even worse is keeping the old refirgerator someplace like an un-airconditioned garage that gets hot in the summer.