August '09 Full Moon

Keeping Cool?

For those of you experiencing the recent heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, I bet you've been hitting the freezer for ice cream, popsicles, and ice cubes for the drinks, and the fridge for cooling that luscious summer fruit!

So, what better time to think about the efficiency of that ubiquitous appliance.

Did you know that refrigerators use more energy than any other kitchen appliance? An unsurprising fact, really, considering that refrigerators operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to keep food at a safe temperature. So of course, we should all be interested in the carbon footprint of our fridge. As a matter of fact, the typical refrigerator results in the emission of about 3.6 pounds of carbon dioxide per day, while the average per person emission from driving is only about 2.2 pounds! Time to figure out how to make that modern appliance more efficient.

Here are two simple things you can do:

Fill up your freezer! Each time you open your freezer, cold air escapes and warm air flows in. The majority of the energy your freezer uses goes towards cooling down the air that comes in when you open the freezer door. When your freezer is full, there is less room for warmer air to take up, and the items that are in there help to cool down any air that does sneak in. So keeping it full means less energy used.

That doesn't mean you need to run out and stock up on frozen peas! Remember all those plastic water bottles you used to buy? I'm sure you have plenty laying around that haven't made it into the recycle bin. (Or for those of you with families, try using plastic milk jugs.) Fill them up with water and stick them in your freezer. Then, you can pop them into your lunch bag or cooler instead of ice. Once they melt, you've got nice cool drinking water - or you can just throw them back into the freezer when you get home. This is also a good practice for those of you in parts of the country prone to power loss from hurricanes, snow storms, or brown outs, etc. The frozen water in your freezer helps keep the food in it cold longer and doubles as your emergency water supply! (Worried about those rumors about freezing plastic bottles? Check this link: Myths)

Now, for your fridge, it's quite simple. Cover your food. Your refrigerator's compressor has to work extra hard if there is moisture inside of it. By covering your food with lids, you can reduce your refrigerator's energy consumption.