Is Your Fridge Up to the Task?

If Christmas dinner is at your house this year, your guests aren’t the only ones who will be stuffed. So will your refrigerator.

Is it up to the task?

If your fridge is more than a decade old, it might not be. Today’s models—those bearing the energy efficiency label, at least—use at least 15% less energy than current federal standards require, and 40% less than models from the early 2000s, according to the Department of Energy.

Yet more than 60 million households have refrigerators that are more than 10 years old, DOE says. By replacing it with a new, energy-efficient model, you could save up to $300 in electricity charges over the appliance’s lifetime.

When shopping for a new refrigerator or freezer, read the EnergyGuide label. It tells you how many kilowatt-hours of electricity the unit will consume over a year of operation. The smaller the number, the better. Look for refrigerators that have a freezer on the bottom or the top, as side-by-side designs consume more energy. Chest freezers are typically better insulated than upright models.

Whether you’re buying a new fridge this year or not, follow these tips for more efficient use around the holidays:

• Brush or vacuum your fridge’s coils regularly to improve efficiency by as much as 30%.
• Keeping your refrigerator full shouldn’t be hard this time of year, and doing so will help your unit retain cold better. If you have trouble keeping it stocked, fill the extra space with bottles or containers of water.
• If your milk is frosty in the morning, reduce the fridge’s temperature. Refrigerators should be set between 36 degrees and 40 degrees. Freezers should stay between zero degrees and 5 degrees.
• Put a dollar bill in the door’s seal to see if it is airtight. If the dollar slips out easily, so will cold air.
•  Avoid putting hot leftovers in the refrigerator. It raises the overall temperature in the fridge and makes it have to work harder to cool down. Instead, let leftovers cool slightly on the counter before storing them. Just don’t leave them out so long that bacteria has a chance to grow.