high efficiency refrigerators

I've just ordered a new refrigerator, as a start on updating most of my appliances to more energy efficient models.

It is a Kenmore model 74212. 417 KWH per year. This was the lowest energy unit I could find with the cu ft I needed in a combo fridge-freezer. I considered all fridge units too as my freezer is next on my list to upgrade.

Learned a few things searching on the web while I was looking.

1 Whirlpool made an energy efficient refrigerator a few years ago and dropped it because nobody would pay the extra $40 it cost. Bet it would sell better today. So I missed out on the chance to get it.

2 Sunfrost makes the top efficiency model fridge I can locate. 204 kwh per year. Available in dc models too for battery operation. Unfortunately their design doesn't seem to work as well for freezers and their combo units are a bit small for me.

3 The second lowest energy large fridge only I could locate was a WCWoods 18 cu ft at 335 kwh per year.
Sears and whirlpool have units that should be great but aren't. You can run them in a garage to save energy in winter! But they are energy hogs, so people wanting them to save energy will probably lose what they gain.

4 Refrigerators with freezers are still mostly all made wrong. They should have separate isolated chambers with separate evaporators as a minimum but these seem to be available only in very high end large units. Sunfrost is an exception on the size, but the size mix is wrong for my needs. Units like this include the GE Arcticas but only in the large side by side styles.

5 Energy efficient combos only come in top freezer models, except the Sunfrost where you can choose top or bottom models. This should not be, but is a result probably of the defects in item 4.

6 The energy ratings don't tell you who makes good designed units and who is cheating by undersizing the conmpressors so they won't maintain temperatures on a hot day! This info seems to be totally unavailable.
So it would be nice to know what they did do for energy savings. The best units should have brushless dc variable speed compressors. The worst would be single speed induction motors. In between there could be 2 or 3 speed motors. This info also I could not locate.

Another way for energy savings would be thick insulation. Sunfrost does this. Nobody else even matches the thickness of my old fridge (which was still new enough to have foam insulation.). They all seem to have gone back to thin insulation.

So with next to zero information I had to buy by brand name. Another shaky idea since nobody makes their own products any more. I did learn LG makes most drawer type bottom freezer units. (You only see this kind of info when there's a recall!) And Whirlpool clearly makes the Kenmore I bought, but I have no idea whether someone else really makes the unit for Whirlpool.

Nothing to do with refrigerators but from reading recall info I learned the Maytag repairman is getting busy, due to Maytag not even making their washing machines nowadays! I read they were switching from LG to Samsung for their high end machines, after having problems.

7 So I turn to Consumer reports and they have only vague ratings on mostly obsolete models. They seem to care more about the count of butter keepers in the doors! They won't tell me what the actual temperatures do in various parts of the fridge and freezer compartments when the ambient goes over 100 degrees or below 50 degrees as it does in my house! Years ago they did cover this kind of stuff much better!

I did manage to locate a Whirlpool warning not to let the room go below 55 degrees. Sorry Whirlpool I set my thermost at 50 degrees when I am not home and I will have to maybe modify your unit to handle this!

So overall I am pretty frustrated and just crossing my fingers the thing works. My old Amana still works great but being over 25 years old I am sure it uses excessive energy.

My goal is to cut my electric bill by at least 50%. It is running now in the $200 to 300 range. Rates here for me are roughly 15 cents and 25 cents a kwh winter, and 15 cents or 40 cents in summer. Depending on time of day.

Next on my list are:

1 Freezer (WC Woods seems to be the only choice here. Esp with Fridgidaire changing owners all the time.) Manual defrost chest if I can fit it somewhere. My current unit is an upright frost free, and I feel very wasteful using it since getting a Prius!)
2 Washer (waiting for more on the new Equator combo top loader with horizontal drum.)
3 furnace blower motor (must convert this to dc brushless. My blower motor is 1/2 hp.)
4 sump pump motor (I already know what to get here, just very hard to find: Rule! At least if they still make it. It is dc brushless design like the marine bilge units, but runs on 110 AC)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer @ May 8 2006, 01:16 PM) [snapback]251542[/snapback]</div>

I should mention that I read another boost in efficiencies is due soon, now that I have ordered mine! I think there will be more with variable speed motors and some more efficient refrigerants. I read something like another 25% improvement is possible.

If you are not in a rush, you may want to google LG and their new linear motors which look a lot like what I have in my Prius car fridge. It is an Engel, cooler chest that works as a freezer if you wish too, and draws about 2 amps from the car battery.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(priusblue @ May 8 2006, 01:04 PM) [snapback]251525[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the tips. I have indeed switched to mostly fluorescent lights, except for a Sodium light for my outside light. And I have used some of the Phillips ones that dim.

I am trying to take this project in order of the improvement I can get. I lost my original EPA sticker info, but I estimate my old fridge and freezer purchased back in the 70's use a lot. Probably over 2000 kwh per year. Plus with my time of day rate, they are the main things I can't turn off for the peak rate times (8 am to 9 pm winter and 9 am to 6 pm in summer, monday to friday.)

I have ordered a watts up pro to start measuring stuff. I want to see the start up surges too, another thing nobody bothers to specify so I can see what will work on my Prius with inverter, when the power goes off!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jimnjo @ May 12 2006, 06:44 AM) [snapback]254007[/snapback]</div>

The Crosley freezers are made by Woods, and they seem about the best I can find. I'm looking at a 10 cu ft chest, manual defrost rated 282 kwh/year. Crosley seems to have same ratings on theirs. For checking who makes what I found this web site:

http://www.appliance411.com/purchase/make.shtml

The other key site is http://energystar.gov where you can see a list of every energy star rated freezer or refrigerator.

Just an update: I got my watts up meter and it seems very useful. Looks like my old 70's era Kenmore freezer is still competitive by todays standards but my Amana refrigerator is not.

Looks like I can save 75% electricity on running the new fridge, and 50% on the freezer. But the freezer will only save because of a switch in type to a manual defrost chest. Fridge savings are with same type and even slightly larger size.

Guess they don't sell enough freezers to invest in making them a lot better!

 

I agree bottom freezers are nicer. I had one once. But for min energy use the top freezers all
seem to do better in the energy specs. I see no technical reason for this. But that is the only reason I ordered a top freezer.

But if it is too low for me I plan to build a platform and raise it up a bit off the floor. Kind of the basic idea Sunfrost suggests on their web site! Then I should be OK with it.

 

Got my new 10 cu ft freezer home fully inside the Prius. New Kenmore was delivered by Sears.

I have now measured everything with the watts up pro and my old equipment (from around 1978 ) was not quite as bad as I expected. But my net electricity cost saving should be 46% for the new freezer and around 71% for the new refrigerator.

I don't remember the actual energy ratings of the old units, but my meter was measuring everything under similar conditions. New units specs are 417 kwh for the refrigerator and 282 kwh per year for the freezer.

Freezer looks like it has a good 3 inches of insulation. It also has little waste space not needing coil and fin space. It uses the case to dissipate the heat. This design eliminates all fans too. At regular room temp it measures a 40% duty cycle.

Very impressed at how quiet both uinits are compared to my old units. Takes some getting used to on the refrigerator hearing the fan going without the compressor a lot of the time.

The refrigerator has thin insulation, so they are getting the low energy use some other way, I assume with an extra good compressor. Somehow it compares quite well to the Sunfrost RF19 (8-8 cu ft at 359 kwh vs 15.2-6.5 cu ft at 417 kwh) when you adjust for the capacity differences. They make do with one fan for the evaporator with a variable damper to control the air flow proportions. Condenser fan seems to be variable speed. I've seen wattages of over 120 watts and down to 70 watts with 2.5 watts when just the evaporator fan is going.

Both the Woods and the Kenmore Elite use Embraco compressors. I gather most Whirlpool equipment does.
Woods makes freezers for Whirlpool and near as I can tell they are virtually the same except for trim items, since Whirlpool has Woods make all their frezers according to their web site.

Looks like the Prius will be able to run the freezer no problem. About 15 amps for start up as a short spike followed by 8 amps for the rest of the motor spin up. My inverter should handle this.

The refrigerator has more of a single start up spike at 23 amperes and this will be harder to get running.

Once going both together should draw under 2 ampers, so should be easy for the Prius to power during power outages.

Interesting that nameplate amps are the opposite of what I measure with freezer at 6 amps and refrigerator at 3 amps.

Freezer is a manual defrost chest, the Woods 10 cu ft C1011W3
Refrigerator is a top freezer Sears Kenmore Elite 21.7 cu ft 74212

My Prius powers a 1500 watt Tripplite inverter, for my back up power system.

 

One more advantage of new energy saving appliances:

My 1 kw Prius inverter can handle much more.
It used to run my refrigerator but could not start the freezer compressor even by itself.

Last night the power went out in a thunderstorm and stayed out. After waiting 5 hours, I went out and hooked up the Prius to my new freezer and refrigerator. It ran both happily and I had power for something else too!

Power came back this morning after being out for over 10 hours.