Is It Time to Replace Your Old Fridge with an Energy-Efficient Model?
The Dept. of Energy’s Handy Online Calculator Can Help You Decide

Washington, D.C., July- 2007 – Have you ever wondered how much you could save on your monthly home energy bill by replacing your old refrigerator or free-standing freezer with a new energy-efficient model? Or whether it’s finally time to retire that spare fridge in the garage or basement – the one that’s even older than the one in the kitchen?

“Was your refrigerator manufactured before 1993?” asks U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) ENERGY STAR Product Manager Richard Karney. “If so, it’s probably time to replace it. The Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator is part of the federal government’s ENERGY STAR program, which helps consumers save money on home energy bills by labeling the most energy-efficient products in more than 50 categories.”

That new online tool developed by DOE is found at www.energystar.gov/refrigerators. It can facilitate your decision by calculating the potential savings from replacing older refrigerators and freezers with new, energy-efficient models. When you get to that page on the ENERGY STAR website, just click on the graphic of the old refrigerator – the one that says “Find out how much your old refrigerator is costing you!” and, below the picture, “Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator.”

To get the most accurate results from the calculator, have your electric utility bill handy, so you can plug in your kilowatt-hour rate. It’s also helpful to have the model number of your current refrigerator. Then simply hit the “Enter” or “Return” key to see your savings over five years from replacing your old refrigerator with a new ENERGY STAR-qualified model.

If you don’t have the model number, click on “I don’t know,” and then indicate when the refrigerator was manufactured or purchased, its capacity in cubic feet, and the freezer location. Another click of the mouse, and the potential savings will be revealed.

“U.S. consumers, who have seen their home and vehicle energy costs increase by 20 percent since 2004, will appreciate this handy online tool, which provides a quick, easy, and even fun way to calculate the potential savings from replacing an old refrigerator or freezer with a new ENERGY STAR-qualified model,” said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy, a nonprofit coalition that promotes energy efficiency worldwide.