Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Panamretiree

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Going through the forums and found this one interesting. We have a new fridge - 4 months old, supposed to be energy star rated with a water and ice maker. Put the K-A-W on it and have this data:

With the water and ice maker operating, have a power consumption of 3.2 kWh/day (8.95 kWh in 69 hrs)

With the ice and water maker off, have a power consumption of ~2.4 kWh/day (6.61 kWh in 63.01 hrs)

Also did a consumption run between 1800 and 0600 because I have split the loads into daytime and nighttime - down here we have about a 12 hour split. Overnight, in the 12 hour period, still burned 1.23 kWh (was hoping for better). Maybe put a timer on it and shut it down for 4 or 5 hours during silent hours, just a thought because it was mentioned.

We have talked about selling it and getting a more efficient fridge, but we have a few months before a decision has to be made. I do like Chris's thoughts that if the Mrs wants it, a few more panels on the roof may well be worth it.

It is a great fridge though. Has the small door in the front for ready access to required fluids without opening the door and spilling all the cold air out.

Here's a pic.

Attachment not found.

Cheers

Ernest

vtmaps

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Panamretiree wrote: »

It is a great fridge though. Has the small door in the front for ready access to required fluids without opening the door and spilling all the cold air out.

Keeping the cold air from spilling out is, IMO, an overrated feature. Some time ago I did some calculations on this forum about that. If I recall correctly, the results were something like this: Open the door and take out a quart of milk, close the door, wait until the milk has warmed up 1 degree, then open the door and put the milk back in the fridge. You will spend more energy cooling the milk back down than you will cooling the air back down twice.

-vtMaps

KnowledgeSponge

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Panamretiree wrote: »

Going through the forums and found this one interesting. We have a new fridge - 4 months old, supposed to be energy star rated with a water and ice maker. Put the K-A-W on it and have this data:

With the water and ice maker operating, have a power consumption of 3.2 kWh/day (8.95 kWh in 69 hrs)

With the ice and water maker off, have a power consumption of ~2.4 kWh/day (6.61 kWh in 63.01 hrs)

Also did a consumption run between 1800 and 0600 because I have split the loads into daytime and nighttime - down here we have about a 12 hour split. Overnight, in the 12 hour period, still burned 1.23 kWh (was hoping for better). Maybe put a timer on it and shut it down for 4 or 5 hours during silent hours, just a thought because it was mentioned.

We have talked about selling it and getting a more efficient fridge, but we have a few months before a decision has to be made. I do like Chris's thoughts that if the Mrs wants it, a few more panels on the roof may well be worth it.

It is a great fridge though. Has the small door in the front for ready access to required fluids without opening the door and spilling all the cold air out.

Here's a pic.

Attachment not found.

Cheers

Ernest

Our 2004 Frigidair was close to that.....2.71 Kwh per 24 hours
Ours does not have the ready access feature and my feeling is that anything that compromises the solidity of the insulation internally
probably hurts efficiency just a bit. Including the IceMaker opening.

Nonetheless, I am a bit surprised you didn't beat my 2004, 26cu ft fridges's number by a comfortable margin.
(I didn't see where you posted your fridge's CU FT but it looks like a 26 or 28 cu ft

If you had just loaded warm groceries in it and it had to work harder to cool those down....maybe?
Or...if it was particularly warm in the room where it is operating?
Or...it's pushed to close to the wall or airflow blocked?
Last idea...could it be that it takes a while for the compressor to "break-in" and achieve those better energy ratings?

Blackcherry04

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

One huge difference I have noticed with a new Refrigerator I got last year is where the condenser heat is expelled. I replaced a GE Profile, 26 ft, side by side with a new Frigidaire. The old GE used to send all the heat out the back and around the cabinet, the new one sends it out the front kick plate and into the room. The new one is much better, I don't know how much that design change helped, seems like it was a no-brainer change to make.

Volvo Farmer

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Blackcherry04 wrote: »

One huge difference I have noticed with a new Refrigerator I got last year is where the condenser heat is expelled. I replaced a GE Profile, 26 ft, side by side with a new Frigidaire. The old GE used to send all the heat out the back and around the cabinet, the new one sends it out the front kick plate and into the room. The new one is much better, I don't know how much that design change helped, seems like it was a no-brainer change to make.

It's been that way for at least 20 years. There are vents on the back to expel some hot air, but it doesn't hurt the unit at all to have zero clearance between the back wall and the refrigerator. As you noticed, the air is designed to flow out the front of the kick plate.

Volvo Farmer

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Panamretiree wrote: »

Going through the forums and found this one interesting. We have a new fridge - 4 months old, supposed to be energy star rated with a water and ice maker. Put the K-A-W on it and have this data:

With the water and ice maker operating, have a power consumption of 3.2 kWh/day (8.95 kWh in 69 hrs)

With the ice and water maker off, have a power consumption of ~2.4 kWh/day (6.61 kWh in 63.01 hrs)

Also did a consumption run between 1800 and 0600 because I have split the loads into daytime and nighttime - down here we have about a 12 hour split. Overnight, in the 12 hour period, still burned 1.23 kWh (was hoping for better). Maybe put a timer on it and shut it down for 4 or 5 hours during silent hours, just a thought because it was mentioned.

We have talked about selling it and getting a more efficient fridge, but we have a few months before a decision has to be made. I do like Chris's thoughts that if the Mrs wants it, a few more panels on the roof may well be worth it.

It is a great fridge though. Has the small door in the front for ready access to required fluids without opening the door and spilling all the cold air out.

Here's a pic.

Cheers

Ernest

Do you have the model number of that Samsung? I wonder if it's a dual cool unit or if it has a flex tray icemaker.

Blackcherry04

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Volvo Farmer wrote: »

It's been that way for at least 20 years. There are vents on the back to expel some hot air, but it doesn't hurt the unit at all to have zero clearance between the back wall and the refrigerator. As you noticed, the air is designed to flow out the front of the kick plate.

Since the Refrigerator I replaced was a 2001 model, I don't think thats 20 years. I might have been asleep for 10 years, but it's was a change I never noticed.

KnowledgeSponge

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Volvo Farmer wrote: »

It's been that way for at least 20 years. There are vents on the back to expel some hot air, but it doesn't hurt the unit at all to have zero clearance between the back wall and the refrigerator. As you noticed, the air is designed to flow out the front of the kick plate.

Excerpt from Whirlpool Installation Manual ---

IMPORTANT:
This refrigerator is designed for indoor, household
use only.
To ensure proper ventilation
for your refrigerator, allow
¹⁄₂
"
(1.25 cm) of space on each side, and between the top of the
refrigerator and overhead cabinets. Allow 2" (5 cm) of space
behind the refrigerator. If your refrigerator has an ice maker, allow
extra space at the back for th
e water line connections. When
installing your refrigerator next to a fixed wall, leave a 3
¹⁄₈
" (8 cm)
minimum space on the hinge side to allow the door to swing
open.
NOTE:
This refrigerator is intended for use in a location where the
temperature ranges from a minimum of 55°F (13°C) to a maximum
of 110°F (43°C). The preferred room temperature range for
optimum performance, which reduces electricity usage and
provides superior cooling, is between 60°F (15°C) and 90°F
(32°C). It is recommended that yo
u do not install the refrigerator
near a heat source, such as an oven or radiator.

Volvo Farmer

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Well, I stand corrected. Thank you for posting that.

KnowledgeSponge

Re: Full Size Refrigerator - I ran the Kill-A-Watt on it for 24 hours

Volvo Farmer wrote: »

Well, I stand corrected. Thank you for posting that.

It was more of a "gee, I could have sworn I read that it had to be......" kinda thing

It may be that you are right for some...but not all units ?