FRIDGE freezers are an expensive household appliances to run but you can save money with an energy efficient model.
Checking how much white goods cost to run can help you cut your electricity bills.
11
Gas and electricity bills have soared after the energy price cap rose 54% to £1,971 on April 1.
That has added £700 to the average household’s annual energy bill.
If you’re searching for a new fridge freezer, make sure you check how much energy it uses.
Because it’s switched on 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, one of the best ways to save money is to buy one that uses less electricity.
How can I find out how much my fridge freezer costs to run?
You can check its efficiency rating and also look at how many kWh it will use each year.
You should be able to find this information on the online product description or ask in store.
Energy labels labels are based on a scale of A to G, with A being the most efficient and G the least.
Products are also categorised by their size, so two different sized appliances with the same energy rating might use different amounts of electricity.
Most read in Money
As a general rule, the bigger the appliance, the more electricity it will use.
That means you could save money by avoiding buying a product that’s bigger than you actually need.
It’s easy to work out roughly how much the fridge freezer will cost to run when you’ve got the annual kWh figure.
A kWh of electricity currently costs 28p on average, so just multiply the annual kWh by 0.28 to get the cost.
For example, if a fridge freezer used 175 kWh a year, it would cost £49 to run.
We’ve found ten of the cheapest fridge freezers on the market and worked out how much they will add to your energy bills.
Curry’s C50TW20 70/30 fridge freezer
11
- Energy efficiency rating: F
- Energy use: 175 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £49
- Upfront price: £179.99 – buy now
This basic Currys fridge freezer is £179.99.
As it uses 175 kWh annually will rack up £49 in energy costs over the course of a year.
It has a total storage capacity of 117litres, with 28litres for the freezer and 89 litres for the fridge section.
Curry’s Essentials C55CW18 60/40 fridge freezer
11
- Energy efficiency rating: F
- Energy use: 217 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £60.76
- Price: £229 – buy now
This £229 fridge freezer is a more expensive option from Currys essentials range.
It is slightly bigger so will use 217 kWh a year – amounting to £60.76.
The fridge compartment will store 138 litres, while the freezer is limited to 69 litres.
Fridgemaster MTM48120F 80/20 Fridge Freezer – White
11
- Energy efficiency rating: F
- Energy use: 182 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £50.96
- Price: £179 – buy now
AO.com is selling this Fridgemaster model for £179.
It uses 182 kWh of electricity a year, costing £50.96.
It has a 120 litre capacity – which AO says can store up to six bags of groceries.
Russell Hobbs RHUCFF50B 70/30 Fridge Freezer
11
- Energy efficiency rating: A
- Energy use: 169 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £47.32
- Price: £200 – buy now
This Russell Hobbs fridge freezer is also from AO.com, costing £200.
It uses less energy at 169 kWh a year, which adds up to £47.32.
That’s partly because it’s slightly smaller than the other options at 90 litres capacity – enough room for five shopping bags.
Argos Simple Value ME48113FF fridge freezer
11
- Energy efficiency rating: F
- Energy use: 206 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £57.68
- Price: £180 – buy now
Families can store 89 litres in the fridge section of this Argos model, and 28 litres in the freezer.
It uses £206 kWh a year and costs £57.68 to run annually.
Argos said it has recently dropped the price from £250 – a saving of £60.
Bush ME50152FFS fridge freezer
11
- Energy efficiency rating: F
- Energy use: 263 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £73.64
- Price: £250 – buy now
Argos says it has also slashed the price of this Bush fridge freezer from £365 to £250.
It uses 263 kWh a year – at £73.64 – making it more expensive than some of the other options.
It has chilled food capacity of 118 litres and 59 litres in the freezer.
Bosch Serie 2 KGN27NWFAG Freestanding 50/50 Fridge Freezer, White
11
- Energy efficiency rating: F
- Energy use: 287 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £80.36
- Price: £399 – buy now
This Bosch model from John Lewis is one of the more expensive options, both in terms of upfront price and energy use.
It costs £80.36 a year to run and will set you back £399 at the shops.
However, it’s also a big option that might work for a larger family, as it can store 255litres in total, or 15 bags of shopping.
RH47UCFF1 Russell Hobbs under counter free standing fridge freezer
11
- Energy rating F
- Energy use: 169 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £47.32
- Price: £219 – buy now
If you don’t need a huge fridge freezer, this under counter Russell Hobbs version could be a good option.
As it’s smaller it costs £47.32 a year to run.
You’ll have 25 litres capacity in the freezer, with 61 litres in the fridge.
Indesit IBD5515S1 fridge freezer
11
- Energy rating: F
- Energy use: 263 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £73.64
- Price: £289.99 – buy now
Shoppers can get £20 off the cost of this Indesit fridge freezer at Very.co.uk at the moment.
It costs £73.64 to run and has a 150 litre fridge and a 67 litre freezer.
IKEA Lagan freestanding fridge freezer
11
- Energy rating: F
- Energy use: 240 kWh a year
- Annual cost to run: £67.20
- Price: £299 – buy now
IKEA is selling this fridge freezer for £299, and it will cost you £67.20 a year to run.
You’ll have 118 litres space in the fridge and 52 litres in the freezer compartment.
How to get help to buy new electrical appliances
If you’re struggling financially, you can get help to pay for essential household goods.
Contact your energy supplier as they might have a hardship scheme you can apply for.
You should also get in touch with your local council, as you may be eligible for a grant from the Household Support Fund.
The amount of help available under the scheme varies across the country, but some local authorities will allow it to be spent on essential household items.
If you claim benefits, you could apply for a budgeting loan – although you will have to pay this back.
These can be used for a wide range of things including replacing white goods.
Search the Turn2Us website to see if there are any grants you’re eligible for, and make sure you’re getting all the money you’re entitled to using a benefits calculator.
Sites such as Freecycle or Gumtree let people list free or low-cost furniture that they no longer need.
It’s not just fridge freezers that could be costing more than you think – check how energy efficient your other appliances are.
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The Sun Online Money team?
This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
