Fridge/Freezer power consumption analysis

MultiFuelBurner

dunstonh said:

We changed to a Samsung American FF last year.    Set to 4c for fridge and -18c for Freezer (20c is too much).  It uses about 0.65kWh per day.        Ice maker use seems to be a key influence.   External temperature doesn't have as much impact as it did on our old model which used 3 times more energy.

What's the model if you don't mind me asking as that seems decent energy usage for an American style.

luvchocolate

Surely the fact it's frost free will use more energy 

dunstonh

MultiFuelBurner said:

dunstonh said:

We changed to a Samsung American FF last year.    Set to 4c for fridge and -18c for Freezer (20c is too much).  It uses about 0.65kWh per day.        Ice maker use seems to be a key influence.   External temperature doesn't have as much impact as it did on our old model which used 3 times more energy.

What's the model if you don't mind me asking as that seems decent energy usage for an American style.

https://www.samsung.com/uk/refrigerators/side-by-side/rs8000nc--8-635l-black-rs68a884cb1-eu/

It was the most energy efficient American FF at the time we bought it.

badmemory

Could the high usage be affected by the fact that it is integrated?

Chrysalis

QrizB said:

I'm surprised that your new fridge freezer is so power-hungry.

What's the model? What does the energy label say re. annual energy use?

It is Hisense RB395N4WF1, and the product page says 287 kWh annual usage.

So not miles off.

I might drop the freezer to -18C and see if it has a noticeable impact.

Alnat1

Chrysalis said:

I might drop the freezer to -18C and see if it has a noticeable impact.

I was going to suggest that, freezing to lower temperatures has no benefit on the food quality and means it would take longer to defrost or even use slightly more energy if it was cooked from frozen.

Chrysalis

Well freezer is definitely colder than older unit, as cooking food from it takes longer now.

I set it to -18C yesterday, so will see over coming days if is noticeable on consumption.

Alnat1

Is it worth getting a fridge/freezer thermometer to check the appliance is actually recording it's own temperature correctly? 

Gerry1

Alnat1 said:

Is it worth getting a fridge/freezer thermometer to check the appliance is actually recording it's own temperature correctly? 

Absolutely, especially for older ones with mechanical thermostats that use arbitrary numbers (e.g. 1 - 9) rather than degrees.  Too cold and you're wasting expensive electricity; too warm and you're risking food poisoning.

mmmmikey

Gerry1 said:

Alnat1 said:

Is it worth getting a fridge/freezer thermometer to check the appliance is actually recording it's own temperature correctly? 

Absolutely, especially for older ones with mechanical thermostats that use arbitrary numbers (e.g. 1 - 9) rather than degrees.  Too cold and you're wasting expensive electricity; too warm and you're risking food poisoning.

I'll second that I got one of these for that very purpose:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B089ZWJDMV/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

As long as you stand close the bluetooth connection works fine from the outside of the fridge or freezer. I was surprised at how much difference tweaking the control on the freezer made. From the factory it maintained a temperature of -19C and used 400Wh per day. Adjusting it to the recommended -18C reduced the consumption to about 325Wh per day.

As an aside, I have separate fridge and freezer and they're both monitored with Tapo P110 plugs. Quite surprising at how much less the fridge uses when I'm on holiday and not opening and closing the door.