Ok, even I admit the topic of refrigerators leaves a little to be desired. I think I can explain myself out of this, so here goes nothing.
About a month ago my Kill-A-Watt EZ came in the mail. I decided to target something big and easily measurable - my refrigerator. So for the last three weeks I've had the refrigerator plugged into it collecting data.
I have a relatively modern model - a modest Kenmore Coldspot manufactured in 2001. Normal size, nothing too fancy. Energy Star compliant (at least when I bought it).
The Kill-A-Watt measured an average of 2.22 kWh/day, which translates to 810 kWh/year. Granted, this is a landed cost of approximately $53/year (at $0.067/kWh for my local rate), but in 2008 you can't find a refrigerator on the current Energy Star list that consumes this much energy, no matter the size.
I've had my eye on the Sun Frost refrigerators for while now, so I decided to do a little comparison. The RF16 model is probably what I would replace my current Kenmore with and is a rough equivalent (although slightly smaller capacity).
The Sun Front RF16 consumes a between 0.48 and 0.70 kWh per day (ambient temperature dependent). This represents a decrease in energy consumption between 68 and 78%, with a annual cost of approximately $12-$17 to operate.
Now I'm not going to run out and buy a new refrigerator anytime soon - at $2800 the Sun Frost isn't exactly an impulse purchase. However, if my current one dies an untimely death, I'll definitely think seriously about it. Besides, if I ever get around to solar panels on the roof, there is a 12 volt DC option that can further reduce energy losses.
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