There is no doubt that the refrigerator (refrigerator) has become one of the essential home appliances in almost all homes. Whether it is a basic model in which a refrigerator and freezer are combined, or in those more complex two-door models designed for large families, the truth is that it is an almost indispensable element.
For this reason and for the fact that works 24 hours a day, seven days a week And so every day of the year, this appliance has become one of the main energy consumers in the kitchen. And if recently we saw which were the household appliances that consumed less electricity, now we are going to see the importance of having aenergy efficient fridge” evaluating the consumption carried out by the one we have at home.
Old or new?
Surely more than one occasion you have heard that any time in the past was better or your elders tell you that New things don’t last as long as old ones. and that it is not worth the change because they are going to spoil you at the first change.
This maxim can be justified, according to each case, with some specific products, but as we are going to see in the case of a refrigerator, this theory so ingrained in some people collapses like a house of cards.
And it is that with the price at which we are paying for electricity for some time now, any investment in an electrical appliance or in an efficient device, ends up having an impact on our pocket, so that after not long we have amortized the purchase.
Therefore, in the process I have made the measurement with a refrigerator that is a little over 15 years old and I have compared it to a modern refrigeratorpurchased in 2018. It is about determining if the consumption that one makes compared to the other ends up being an interesting incentive to end up changing the refrigerator.
And it is that in the first case, I have measured a daily consumption that is dangerously close to 2.70 kWh (an average of 2.60 kWh) and that, without getting to work at full power. On a scale of one to five, the refrigerator must work at level four to generate enough cold and to preserve food properly.
Then I have proceeded to measure how much the most modern refrigerator consumes working in “Eco Mod” which is the one that is activated by default. For the process I have followed the same steps performing regular use, opening and closing the door to get food and taking the measurements for about 24 hours. In this case consumption remains at 0.60 kWh.
This fridge is a mess
All these numbers and data are very good, but the figures must be transferred to euros and know what they translate into throughout the year. We are going to see the consumption in watts per hour of each device and then take out the annual consumption, for which it is enough to multiply the daily value (by 24 hours) and by 365 days and we obtain the figure in watt hours, or whatever same kilowatt hour (kWh).
old fridge |
new fridge |
|
---|---|---|
Consumption |
0.60 kWh |
2.60 kWh |
My electric rate |
€0.13/kWh |
€0.13/kWh |
Average electricity price |
€0.17/kWh |
€0.17/kWh |
Annual cost my rate |
€123.37 |
€28.47 |
annual cost average price |
€161.33 |
€37.23 |
And that How much money does it cost after a year of use? Well, if we consider that I am currently paying for electricity at €0.13/kWh, by multiplying the resulting figure these are the amounts that I obtain. In the refrigerator in “Eco Mode”, the cost goes to €28.47 while in the older model the result to be paid is 123.37 euros (per year)
These figures come out taking the lowest price at which I pay for electricity, but if we take the average market price as of yesterday, which is around €0.17/kWh and multiply the resulting kWh, these are the amounts we obtain . Taking this reference, using the most modern refrigerator in “Eco Mode” has a annual cost 37.13 euros while in the older model the result to be paid is €161.33.
It pays to buy a new refrigerator
With these amounts I am seeing how to use a more modern and efficient refrigerator or continue using the one I have at home, causes me to pay about 100 euros more per year. An extra cost for my pocket that makes it more than interesting to buy a new refrigerator since with a mid-range model that can be found for around 500 or 600 euros in specific offers, I am ensuring amortization in a few years.
And this conclusion was reached by applying an electricity rate like the one I pay, which is relatively cheap, since if we adjust to the average price, we are talking about plus 110 euros of difference per year, an amount that rises much more if we take the prices of electricity that we have had until not long ago and that makes the final number, already more than important, allow the amortization of a new refrigerator to be carried out practically in a period of two years. And that with the hope of not seeing a new increase in the price of electricity.
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