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If you are worried about your electricity bill, then you can pay one thing. Increasingly, our refrigerator accounts for a major part of the electricity bills. Refrigerator energy consumption depends on many factors, like energy ratings, size, location, type of refrigerator, etc.
Let us know how we can reduce our electricity bill by reducing the electricity consumption of our refrigerator.The wattage of a refrigerator depends on many things, such as size, age, energy efficiency rating, and usage patterns, so it is difficult to give a single number but the average power consumption of a refrigerator, is about 100 to 800 watts of power when running, latest more energy-efficient models consume less power.
On average, a modern technoloy based refrigerator consumes around 150-200 watts per hour depending on the capacity of the refrigerator and its type(domestic or commercial), a domestic Refrigerator consumes about 200-300 watts and will use 800-2500 kWh yearly.
You can find the wattage on compliance label in the fridge you can use below free refrigerator power consumption calculator to find out the energy usage using this tool you can easily calculate your electricity cost.
As we told you exact wattage rating of a refrigerator can vary depending on the model, and size of the appliance but typically, refrigerators consume between 100 to 800 watts, with larger and more energy-efficient models on the lower end of that range.
To calculate the number of units in kilowatt-hours (kWh) that a refrigerator will draw per day, you would need to know its wattage rating and the number of hours it operates per day.
Let's assume a refrigerator with a wattage rating of 150 watts and it operates for 24 hours a day.
The formula to calculate kWh per day is:
kWh per day = (Wattage rating / 1000) × Hours of operation per day
Using the given values:
kWh per day = (150 / 1000) × 24 = 3.6 kWh/day
Refrigerator Capacities and Average Wattage
| Size | Capacity Range (cubic feet) | Average Wattage (watts) |
|---|---|---|
| Mini Fridge | 1.7 - 4.5 | 50 - 100 |
| Compact Fridge | 4.6 - 9.9 | 80 - 150 |
| Apartment Size Fridge | 10 - 18 | 100 - 200 |
| Standard Fridge | 18 - 25 | 150 - 300 |
| Large Fridge | 25 and above | 200 - 400 |
How Much Power a Refrigerator Uses - in Watts, Cost & kWh
Household fridge power consumption is typically between 100 and 300 watts. Throughout the day, a household refrigerator consumes between 1 -3 kWh-hours (kWh) of electricity. This contributes approximately $ 100 - $ 300 per year to your electricity bill.Let's take an example
My Refrigerator wattage(as you can see in the above image) = 130 Watts
Estimated usage Per Day = 24 hours per day
Total energy Consumption in one day = 130W x 8h = 1040Wh = 1.04kWh/day
Total cost in one day= 1.04kWh/day x 365 days x $0.25/kWh = $94.90/year
To summarize the above calculation, we have:
Refrigerator Wattage x Hours Per Day = Watt-hours per day
Watt-hours / 1000 = kWh per day
Every household has a refrigerator which we often use to save food for a longer period and to cool water, to freeze ice, etc. The refrigerator is used everywhere, whether in a normal house, in a shop, or in a big mall.
Domestic refrigerators come in many types of the size range. The smallest size is 4 liters and with a capacity of up to 600 liters or more. You can keep your food fresh for long days in a modern fridge.
While buying the fridge, it has to be kept in mind that this is the only home appliance that runs 24X7 continuously 365 days a year. Typically the fridge consumes 400 to 500 units of electricity throughout the year. Star rating products are an easy way to save power consumption.
Tips and Trick to Save Energy Consumption
According to an estimate, refrigerators account for 15 percent of your household electricity bill. In such a situation, if you take some precautions, you can reduce the cost of electricity. The first suggestion is that you buy only the refrigerator of a 5-star rating. Apart from this, there are several precautions that you can take to reduce your power consumption:Type of Fridge-it commercial or domestic fridge. For example, a commercial fridge can use 5 to ten times more than your domestic fridge.
Size of the Fridge- fridges with a larger volume, use more electricity as you can see in the above table.For your information, let me tell you that, as you can see from the above power consumption chart if you have a big fridge it will cost you more.Before buying a fridge, You have to think about whether you really need such a large fridge, especially you are living in a small family.
If you are living in a small house of 3-4 people, then you do not need a big fridge. You can buy a small fridge and save money.
Refrigerator Location-If your fridge is installed in a hot atmosphere, or poorly ventilated, it will use more power.
Season-As you know the compressor needs more work in the summer so that all refrigerators use more power in summer than in winter.
Energy star rating- Fridges contribute the most to a residential electricity bill and using them efficiently you can greatly reduce the electricity bill. Although purchasing a 5 Star rated refrigerator can be an efficient start.
A clear indicator of a fridge's energy efficiency is its Energy Star rating, labeled in the upper right corner of every new fridge.Star refers to saving power. That is the more stars, the more saving.
How to Use Refrigerator Efficiently?
A refrigerator is a very useful appliance but, if it is not taken care of, it can damage quickly. We are telling about some common mistakes which we often ignore or do not pay attention to.
Mistake No. 1-Open and Shut Multiple Times?
First, you keep the door of the fridge open for a long time without paying any attention and when all the cooling comes out of it, then you set Lowest temperature to cool again.What to do-
It is very easy to do this, but do you know that in this process the refrigerator consumes more electricity. In such a situation, ice crystals are seen floating on the milk kept in the refrigerator. Let me tell you that as long as your fridge is not overloaded, keeping the door open for 1-2 minutes does not make much difference in cooling. The temperature normalizes after the fridge is closed.
What to do-
Mistake No. 2 - Keeping too much stuff in the fridge
Excessive stuffing in the fridge can quickly damage the fridge. If there is no open space in the fridge, it is unable to maintain cooling.What to do-
It is necessary to have an open space in the fridge for air circulation. Without it, the refrigerator is not able to cool properly, so there are more chances of food spoiling. If you too have a habit of keeping more stuff in the fridge, change it immediately.
What to do -
Mistake No. 3-Dot not close the refrigerator door properly
The door of the fridge is not like a regular door. It is made of rubber.It keeps the fridge sealed to maintain its cooling. Problem occurs when you overpack the fridge with the goods. In such a situation, the door is closed but it is not sealed and due to air passing, cooling does not occur.What to do -
While closing the fridge, press it very hard so that it gets sealed properly. Apart from this, it is also important to take care that it is not overloaded.
What to do-
Mistake No. 4- Keeping too hot food
You must have heard many people say that keeping hot food in the fridge spoils the food quickly. He is absolutely right. Keeping more hot food in the fridge not only affects its cooling process but also causes bacteria to spread very quickly in the fridge.What to do-
To keep food safe, first cool it, and then keep it in the fridge.
If it is necessary to keep hot food in the fridge, first divide it into small containers and then keep it in the fridge. This will help in cooling.
What to do-
If it is necessary to keep hot food in the fridge, first divide it into small containers and then keep it in the fridge. This will help in cooling.
Mistake No. 5- Not cleaning the fridge
Cleaning the fridge from time to time is very important. A small leakage of a meat package can also spread harmful bacteria in the refrigerator.What to do-
According to the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) guidelines, clean the refrigerator daily as you clean your kitchen.
What to do-
Mistake No. 6- Do not clean the condenser coil
If your fridge is starting to get hotter than before, then it's time to clean its condenser coil.What to do-
In order for the fridge to function properly, its coil must be cleaned. For this, unplug the fridge and clean it with a coil cleaning brush. Cleaning the coil will also save electricity.
When cleaning the refrigerator, use diluted detergent. Baking soda can also be used.
What to do-
When cleaning the refrigerator, use diluted detergent. Baking soda can also be used.
Mistake No. 7- Gap between food packets or containers
Keeping food packets or containers glued makes the fridge not working properly.What to do-
Experts recommend that you wrap the container or packet properly before placing items in the fridge. Also, it is necessary to have a gap of 1 to 2 inches between two containers. This helps the refrigerator work properly and also saves electricity.
For proper ventilation, place the fridge two inches away from the wall. Make sure that the refrigerator is away from sunlight, heat source. Not only this, keep the appliances like oven, radiator, and stove also away from the fridge.
The dust on the refrigerator coil affects the efficiency of the fridge the compressor works with
difficulty. Not only this, but it also consumes more electricity, so clean the coils daily.
The collection of ice in the de-frosting refrigerator reduces the cooling capacity, so de-frosting should be done regularly.
Vapor-compression refrigeration cycle
The liquid refrigerant is circulated as a medium. Which absorbs the heat from the space to be cooled and leaves the heat at another place.
VCRS has 4 main components.
Refrigerant is converted into high pressure and high-temperature vapor after going into the compressor. It is a superheated vapor.From here it goes into the condenser to release heat from the water-cooled or air-cooled method into the atmosphere. And it is converted into liquid.It is a saturated liquid.
After the condenser, it passes through the liquid expansion valve, and its pressure and temperature drop and it cools.
Let me tell you that a capillary tube is used as an expansion valve in a domestic refrigerator.After the expansion valve, it passes through the evaporator. The evaporator absorbs the heat of space. And due to absorbing the heat, it gets converted into vapor.
In this process, the things placed around the evaporator cool down. And the vapor coming out of the evaporator goes back into the compressor.
But before going into compressor it is partially vaporized and also cools, so it is converted into complete vapor with the help of a fan.
Because the liquid particles cannot be inserted in the compressor even in small proofs, if this happens, the compressor is likely to burst.
Ammonia (NH3) was previously used as a refrigerant, but ammonia is a toxic gas, so its use was banned.
Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) -This causes less damage to the ozone than refrigerant R12.
The R22, which is an HCFC gas, will be removed by 2020.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - These refrigerants do not contain any chlorine, so this gas is more environmentally safe.R-410A and R-134A are examples.
For proper ventilation, place the fridge two inches away from the wall. Make sure that the refrigerator is away from sunlight, heat source. Not only this, keep the appliances like oven, radiator, and stove also away from the fridge.
The dust on the refrigerator coil affects the efficiency of the fridge the compressor works with
difficulty. Not only this, but it also consumes more electricity, so clean the coils daily.
The collection of ice in the de-frosting refrigerator reduces the cooling capacity, so de-frosting should be done regularly.
How refrigerator works?
Before understanding how it works, you have to understand the refrigeration cycle.Currently, every refrigerator uses a vapor-compression refrigeration system.It uses refrigerants.Vapor-compression refrigeration cycle
The liquid refrigerant is circulated as a medium. Which absorbs the heat from the space to be cooled and leaves the heat at another place.
VCRS has 4 main components.
- Compressor
- Condenser
- Thermal expansion valve
- Evaporator
Refrigerant is converted into high pressure and high-temperature vapor after going into the compressor. It is a superheated vapor.From here it goes into the condenser to release heat from the water-cooled or air-cooled method into the atmosphere. And it is converted into liquid.It is a saturated liquid.
After the condenser, it passes through the liquid expansion valve, and its pressure and temperature drop and it cools.
Let me tell you that a capillary tube is used as an expansion valve in a domestic refrigerator.After the expansion valve, it passes through the evaporator. The evaporator absorbs the heat of space. And due to absorbing the heat, it gets converted into vapor.
In this process, the things placed around the evaporator cool down. And the vapor coming out of the evaporator goes back into the compressor.
But before going into compressor it is partially vaporized and also cools, so it is converted into complete vapor with the help of a fan.
Because the liquid particles cannot be inserted in the compressor even in small proofs, if this happens, the compressor is likely to burst.
What is the type of refrigerator?
- Compressor refrigerators
- Peltier refrigerators
- Absorption refrigerators
- Magnetic refrigerators
- Acoustic refrigerators
Refrigerant
Cooling is not possible without refrigerant, refrigerant can absorb heat very easily, that is why it is used in the fridge.Ammonia (NH3) was previously used as a refrigerant, but ammonia is a toxic gas, so its use was banned.
Refrigerant Type:
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)- CFCs have a greenhouse gas effect, hence their production was discontinued in 1994.Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) -This causes less damage to the ozone than refrigerant R12.
The R22, which is an HCFC gas, will be removed by 2020.
Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) - These refrigerants do not contain any chlorine, so this gas is more environmentally safe.R-410A and R-134A are examples.