Recently I was the delighted recipient of a new fridge and stove. I was delighted because our old fridge didn’t work very well and was so broken inside that a piece of ancient, jagged plexiglass was holding up our vegetables.
In spite of the state of our old fridge, I must admit to feeling slightly guilty about getting a new one. I’ve never gotten a new fridge and stove before. I’ve always repaired the old ones. However, the fridge and stove were just barely usable and were getting to be beyond repair, even if we really, really wanted to repair them.
When I looked at the energy efficiency ratings of new fridges, I didn’t feel nearly as bad. Our old fridge was here when we bought the house. I’d guesstimate that it was at least 15 to 20 years old. Although many older appliances are of great quality and repair easily, the area where they fall down is energy efficiency. Our new fridge is more than three times more efficient than our old fridge. With an average annual price tag of under $40 to run the new fridge, this means that I’m saving about $100 a year in electricity costs. Since my fridge was on sale, it will pay for itself in about 6 years.
If you’re getting a new appliance in the December and January sales, take a look at its energy efficiency rating. What I’ve found is that many of the sale appliances are ones that are not of the highest quality or efficiency. Read the reviews, and you may see why they’re on sale. Look at the energy efficiency, and you will discover that the second price tag of your new appliance will far outweigh the sale savings. Instead, do your research first. Find energy efficiency rated appliances that you like. Narrow them down by size, color, or whatever your parameters might be. Then look at the reviews. Find 2 to 10 appliances that you really like, and search for sales on these appliances. If you find a great sale on a different appliance, look at its efficiency rating before you buy. The last thing you want is a fridge that eats your electricity!