Frost free fridge/freezer query

vyvyan_2

I’ve not long moved into this rented house - white goods included. The fridge/freezer is a Hotpoint Mistral Plus (frost free). I’m not sure how old it is but it is definitely not new. The energy rating for this is an E :eek:


(the stickers are still on the front - dead giveaway)!

It seems to be running a lot more than I would expect. Temperatures are ok.

Do frost free ones do this? Never had one before.


Being money saving, I’m concerned that is running away with my electric bills.

As I’ve got an old (but reliable) one in storage, I’m tempted to swap it for the duration of my tenancy.

kwatt

Hi Vyvyan,

Most frost free machines will run 70-80% of the time that they are powered, so that is perfectly normal. You can read more on how they work from this link

Frost free machines use a lot of power and there's nothing you can do about it. Even the plug things that are supposed to save energy for fridges cause known issues with the electronics.

This series is known for thermistor problems, very common issue.

HTH

K.

Taadaa

Kwatt - are you saying that frost free aren't as energy efficient as conventional freezers? Curious because I thought that all that ice building up reduced efficiency anyway.

kwatt

No, they are not as energy efficient as a standard falling air unit, usually by a considerable amount.

The EU changed the labels so that you now have two classifications, standard and frost free so that you can have an "A" rated frost free something that, if you applied the same standards to all, would not be achievable other than by a conventional unit.

Even then the labels are incredibly misleading as they take little account of the unit's performance so we now have "A+" rated fridges that do not keep food correctly.

It's all good fun with EU labelling and, in all honesty, it's mostly a bad joke IMO but if you're interested I wrote a big article on them in relation to washers in particular here, from this link.

HTH

K.

Fourcandles_3

Kwatt, I don't doubt what you say but that is outragous!

Basically the rules are completely different for frost free appliances, and lets not tell anyone. :eek:

I recently bought a new freezer and shopped around quite alot but couldn't justify the extra money for a frost free one. So just went for the best energy rating I could afford.

Soooooooo glad that I did, as one of the reasons we got rid of our old freezer was because if ate the electric. The one we have now is twice the size and uses considerably less.

Taadaa

Kwatt, thank you very informative. Now I know why my ironing is always a nightmare, and I leave it until the airing cupboard is overflowing before I can bear to look at it. And so my iron is on for longer, using more water to produce steam, taking more energy because it takes longer..

If you have done any other articles please let me know. I am working on sustainable development in my workplace, more concerned with policy and process, but anything that adds a bit of depth is very useful.

kwatt

Hi Fourcandles,

Yes, essentially the EU Labelling system is fundamentally flawed IMO and extremely misleading in many ways for people. And, yes, they did just create new rules when the ones in play didn't suit.

The problem is that you don't see the effects until you use the machines extensively.

I had to laugh at a post I read earlier about an "A" rated oven and you ought to see the test for that, it's a joke IMO and that of many tech guys from some of the largest manufacturers in the world. It involves a brick in the oven and how long it takes to dry out, laughable and tells you nothing about the appliance or the energy efficiency.

Taadaa, I've written a few things on the subject over the past few years, including a bit of consultation work for some departments you'll likely know. I got so hacked off with the misinformation I started on about it on UKW as well as here and other forums, trying to let people know the facts and not just what a silly, meaningless label tries to convey in one letter what is a complicated subject matter. The problem is that lots of people fall for the marketing garbage that these people push.

With everything there is, as you likely will be aware, an effect beyond the immediate is the best way I can think to put it. In other words, there is a consequence to saving energy in many areas and the trick is to strike a reasonable balance between energy efficiency, performance and in many cases, the chemicals used to carry out the task. Get any of them wrong and the cure can be worse than the disease

But just read through the forums here and count how many posts start with or contain teh words, "should I just buy a new one?". Well, there's another ~70Kg of natural resource off to landfill as the vast bulk isn't re-cycled and the WEEE Directive is nothing short of a disaster.

The crime in that is the amount that is needless for a silly fault code or some stupid cheap to fix fault.

It is frustrating at times.

I could go on, but I don't want to bore the people trying to save some money on here but, if you want to continue the conversation, my email should be available from my profile.

K.

roddydogs

Lets get this right-ive got an A-Rated frost free freezer, so it uses more power than a a-rated non FF?

kwatt

Correct roddydogs.

It depends on the model of course but this buying guide for fridge freezers shows the energy consumption variations for a 185/90 litre fridge/freezer in graphic form. You'll not that there's not a huge difference between them all in that example and there are two ratings depending on whether the machine is frost free or normal falling air type designs.

On some of the larger models, for example US frost free models, the differences can become even more glaring.

It is also important to note that whilst many can reach the A+ or A++ rating that they may not, whilst operating at that efficiency level, actually keep the food at the correct temperature.

IMO it is all very misleading and a bit of a sham really.

K.

worto03

You could get one of these if you are concerned about how much it's costing you.

http://www.hotukdeals.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99913

Try it on your for a week then stick it on a mates for a week & see if yours uses loads more or not.

worto.