Right-size your fridge

(NC)—Do you have mystery food items that have been in your freezer for months? What about a second fridge in the basement that holds a couple of pop bottles and a big jar of pickles or a deep freezer with seven months worth of food? Maybe it's time to downsize. Older, secondary fridges and oversized deep freezers are a big drain on Ontario's electricity grid and may be costing residents between $120 and $150 on their electricity bills.

"Many people don't realize just how costly these older, inefficient, secondary fridges are on the electricity system and on their hydro bill," said Bill Wylie, program manager at the Ontario Power Authority. "It's important for people to purchase the right size refrigerator to suit their needs. The larger the fridge, the larger its electricity needs."

Wylie explains that replacing your old refrigerator or freezer with an ENERGY STAR qualified model that fits your household's needs can help to reduce your electricity bill. When purchasing a new fridge, consider the number of people that will be using it. ENERGY STAR provides the following guidelines as reference for purchasing a new refrigerator:

• One or two people – 12 cubic feet
• Three or four people – 14 to 17 cubic feet
• Each additional person – add 2 cubic feet

To ensure you buy the most energy-efficient fridge, look for the ENERGY STAR symbol and consider the fridge's design. A fridge with the freezer on top is the most efficient design, followed by bottom freezers. Side-by-side fridge models are least efficient.

Information on finding the right fridge for your home is available online at www.everykilowattcounts.com.

- News Canada