America's refrigerators use more than 4% of the nation's total electricity-the equivalent of 20% of the power generated by all nuclear power plants!
What You Should Know
- In California, about 17% of your electricity use goes to your refrigerator or freezer.
- If your freezer and/or refrigerator are set 10° colder than necessary, your energy consumption will go up an amazing 25%.
How to Set Your Refrigerator/Freezer Temperature for Maximum Efficiency
- The refrigerator should be between 36° F and 40° F
- The freezer should be between 0° F and 5° F
Not sure what temperature your refrigerator and freezer are set to? Borrow a thermometer from the Lending Library (or buy one at a grocery store) and do a little detective work, instruction sheet provided.
Helpful hints:
- Sometimes the freezer thermostat is inside the refrigerator.
- If you adjust the freezer of refrigerator temperature, be sure to check both temperatures after at least four hours or more, because changing one setting can affect both compartments.
Source: 51 Easy Ways You Can Prevent Global Warming (and save money!), by Jeffrey Langholz, Ph.D., and Kelly Turner