I’ve practiced doing freezer blocking for years, although I never did know that there was an actual term for the practice. What is freezer blocking and what can it do for you? Let’s answer that second question first. Freezer blocking can save you money.
Freezers work most efficiently when they are packed solid. The more stuff in a freezer, the better insulation it has, which means that it doesn’t have to work as hard to keep your food frozen. This means that you save money on electricity. Freezers work by keeping the air cold. The less air there is, the less the compressor has to be in use.
If you have empty space in your freezer, you can fill up all of that extra space by creating your own insulation. You can simply fill up gallon milk or water jugs with water and freeze them (make sure you leave some room at the top of the jugs for expansion). To be really efficient, pack empty cardboard boxes with wall insulation from your local home improvement store. Close and seal the boxes, and then arrange them in your freezer to fill in the empty areas.
There is some debate about freezing jugs of water. Some people say that it takes more energy to initially freeze the water than you might save by having the frozen jugs in their after they are frozen.
By the way, this little trick will no work with refrigerators. This is because refrigerators work best when air is circulated well throughout the unit. Food that is packed in tightly will require more energy to keep things cool. The way to save money here is to only purchase as large as a refrigerator as you think you will need. Larger units are less energy efficient. The less you have to refrigerate, the more you will save.
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