This Kitchen Appliance Uses The Most Energy. Here's How To Reduce Its Load

Have you heard the old joke: "Is your refrigerator running?" While the standard punchline goes something like, "Well, you better go and catch it," the fact remains that your fridge really is always running. As one of the biggest appliances in your home, it makes sense that it also consumes a lot of energy. After all, the fridge is responsible for keeping between 18 and 30 cubic feet cold, protecting various foods and liquids. On top of that, every time you open the doors, cold air flows out, and the appliance has to compensate to get the interior to its ideal temperature once the doors are closed. In fact, refrigerators are among the top five energy consumers in residential homes, per data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. But reducing the consumption levels is still possible. By performing regular maintenance, cleaning the coils, checking the door seals, and using eco mode, you can potentially save money and make the most out of your fridge.

While many fridges are made with energy-saving modes now to compensate for the fact that they are consistently on and consuming power, other factors can still contribute to your appliances' energy usage. So, if your bills are higher than usual, it might be worth checking out a few things on your refrigerator. The coils are imperative to the proper function of your device, but they can accumulate a lot of dust and dirt. If your coils are blocked, the fridge has to work even more to cool the interior. Cleaning these regularly will help lower the energy consumption, so it's not working overtime. You can do this by dusting or vacuuming the coils.

If your coils are clean and the fridge is still causing higher utility bills, check the door seals. Your refrigerator doors come with a seal on each door to help keep the cold air in. These can wear down with age, especially after pulling open the doors constantly. Replacing these when this happens is imperative to ensuring that your refrigerator is not working overtime to keep your items cold. You can replace them yourself just by ordering new seals and pulling the older ones off by the corners. Check the interior channel where the seal slots into for dirt and grime, washing this area before inserting the new one. If you're unsure whether these need to be replaced, stick a piece of paper in the door and try to pull it out after closing the fridge. If it slips out easily, then they need an upgrade.

It's not just ensuring the exterior of your fridge is in good condition that helps it run more efficiently. Whenever you put hot food away in the refrigerator too quickly, it can affect the internal temperature. If you're adding a lot of containers and eats that are still steaming, these will cause the appliance to go down to a lower temperature setting while it tries to compensate for this adjustment. Before adding in any items, let them cool down to room temperature at least.

Lastly, you want to try and find a fridge that has an energy-saving or eco mode. Purchasing an appliance that has an eco mode option means it's conserving power and not working as hard, so you're not spending extra money on bills. Additionally, use fridge organizing tips like adding a lazy susan or other storage items to make your foods and liquids easy to find, so you spend less time with the door open. Keep smaller items around the outer edges of your lazy susan and bigger items inside, so you can see and grab what you need quickly. Throw out old or expired foods, as this can potentially help the appliance too by reducing the number of items it needs to cool.

Finally, you need to clean your refrigerator often, at least every three or four months, and run maintenance checks on it a few times a year to ensure it keeps running efficiently. This just helps to keep an eye on all the different parts and features that go into making it run. The more attention you pay to the smaller things, the more money you could save. Clean and wipe down the doors and seals often, too, as they may not need to be replaced but simply cleared of any dirt or dust to close properly.