WITH energy costs continuing to burn a big hole in household budgets, we’re all looking for new ways to keep a lid on bills – and one area of your home you might have overlooked is your fridge.
What you might not realise is that both this – and your freezer – can gulp down a substantial portion of your power.
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This is according to Kate Hall, founder of thefullfreezer.com (@thefullfreezer).
The mum-of-two is on a mission to help people cut costs when using these appliances, and has come up with a nifty little item you can buy to avoid wasting both money and energy – a replacement door seal.
“It’s really important to check your door seal is intact,” said Kate.
“If yours isn’t sealing properly, cold air will be escaping and warmer air will sneak in – so you’ll need to replace it.”
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A simple way to check is by placing a £10 note between the frame and the seal.
If the note stays in place, there’s nothing to worry about. But if it slides out, it means you need to take action.
The freezer whizz added: “You can also use a chopstick wrapped in microfibre cloth to clean your seal and check for any cracks,” she said.
“If your door seal is worn or damaged at all, it will need replacing. The good news is, this shouldn’t cost too much.”
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On Amazon and eBay, you can find replacement door seals for between £10 and £20.
“You need to make sure you get the right seal for your appliance,” said Kate.
“Getting the seal working properly again can make a real difference to your bills.”
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According to The Eco Experts, a comparison website, if you don’t keep your fridge or freezer in working order – if, say, the door seal is broken – you could see your electricity bill creeping up by £20 per year, as it will be operating less efficiently and using more energy.
Replacing the seal is an easy job you can do yourself.
Simply remove the old one by pulling it out, and then fit the new one by starting in the corners and working your way into the middle.
Other ways to reduce fridge costs
Once you’re happy that your seal is working efficiently, it’s really important to keep the fridge door closed to avoid unnecessary energy consumption.
She said: “When we open our fridge and freezer doors, cold air will escape and warm air will rush in.”
Even if you leave the door open for just a minute, a fridge can take ten minutes to regain its original temperature.
“To speed up the time it takes you to ‘dive’ into your fridge or freezer, keep your appliances organised,” said Kate.
“And don’t over-fill your units, as this stops the cold air from moving around your food.”
Another top tip from Kate is to give your appliances plenty of space.
“Our fridges and freezers are switched on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so it’s important to let any heat from them escape easily,” she said.
“Try and allow a 10cm gap behind your appliances to allow for better airflow.”
Tempting as it may be to move “defrosting your fridge and freezer” to the bottom of your ‘to-do-list,’ it’s important not to do this, as it could be costing you money.
“Stop putting off this task,” said Kate.
“Frosty appliances have to work harder, so try to defrost every six months or so – or whenever the ice build-up is around half a centimetre.”
This will help your appliances maintain peak efficiency.
Not defrosting your freezer could also add as much as £150 to your annual bills.
The money-saving mum also recommends being a bit “strategic” about the way you use the space in your freezer.
“Aim to keep your appliance well-stocked – ideally around three-quarters full,” said Kate, who has a new book – The Full Freezer Method – coming out on March 14.
“This is because less warm air can rush in, and the temperature is kept down by the cold items inside.”
According to the savvy mum, a great way to fill up your freezer is by freezing fresh food which is at risk of going in the bin.
“This also means you avoid any waste,” she added.
“Alternatively, you could use bottles of water to create large ice packs.
“Just make sure they are only two-thirds full, as you need to leave enough space for the water inside the bottle to expand.”
This will help your appliances maintain peak efficiency.
When it comes to defrosting food, it makes sense to defrost certain items – such as desserts or frozen leftovers – in the fridge.
“This is a great way of helping your appliance to not have to work so hard,” said Kate.
“This is because the frozen food acts as an ice block, helping to keep the temperature low.
“That said, I wouldn’t defrost bread in the fridge, as it’s best eaten at room temperature.
“The fridge can actually make it go stale more quickly.”
One final tip from the frozen food pro is to avoid putting hot things in the fridge or freezer.
“Putting hot items into your appliance will raise the temperature,” said Kate.
“Not only does this mean it has to work harder, it can also make your food unsafe.”
The best approach, she adds, is to cool your food within two hours of cooking it.
“To do this, you first need to stir it regularly,” she said.
“Having done this, you should then separate it into smaller portions or spread it into a cold flat dish so the heat can escape.
“At this point, you could even put the food in its dish into an ice water bath if you wanted to.”
Once your food is properly cool, you can then go ahead and store it in your fridge or freezer.
The latest change to the price cap, which took effect in January, saw bills for the average household go up from £1,834 to £1,928 per year, a rise of £94.
The next price cap is due to be announced this week (February 23), and there are expectations that, after a painful two years of sky-high energy bills, we could finally see a drop in rates.
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That said, energy experts warn consumers won’t feel the benefit from a fall in rates until that cap comes into effect in April.
In the meantime, it’s important to continue taking all the steps you can to keep energy costs down.
