How to fill the fridge and freezer for cheaper running

April 4th, 2012

Not that you needed another excuse to pop another bottle of vodka in the freezer but as it turns out, filling up your freezer (not necessarily with vodka) saves you money.

Filling freezers and fridges to capacity makes them more energy efficient because most of the energy goes towards cooling down air that comes in when the doors are open.

When the freezer or fridge is full, less warm air can come in and and so less energy is used to maintain the cool temperatures.

A freezer should be kept at -17C or less and a fridge at 4C or less.

Filling the freezer

Out of food or vodka? No worries.

Fill the freezer with bags of ice, bottles or containers with water or zip lock bags filled with water. Even scrunched up newspaper will do the trick.

If you want to get really serious about savings then keep the food you want to take out first closer to the front so you can quickly grab it.

Filling the fridge

Food and drinks are taken in out of the fridge more frequently than the freezer so filling it up with unnecessary things will get annoying as you try to find what you’re looking for.

Because different areas of the fridge have different temperatures, make the most of the variations by placing food in the right spot for preservation.

Dairy, for example, should be kept at the top of the fridge where the temperature is consistent.

Meat should be kept at the bottom of the fridge where it’s coldest.

Contrary to where most egg holders are found, eggs shouldn’t be kept on the door as this is where there is the greatest temperature fluctuations, a no no for eggs. They should also be kept in their own cartons to avoid absorbing strong smells and flavours.

Keep fruits and veges separate from each other so the ethylene gas from fruits doesn’t cause veges to spoil more quickly.

Keri Algar

Having once had to sit on the washing machine to stop it from bouncing into oblivion, Keri is today delighted with the new (smoother running) technologies that make housework easier every day. A self-confessed lazy-bones, Keri seeks out quirky inventions that ease the human workload, such as the robotic vacuum cleaner (wow). And as soon as someone figures out a Jetsons-like self-cleaning house, she will happily lay her pen to rest and retire from appliance journalism. Until then, her pick is a fridge that will tell her smartphone when it's time to pick up more beer on the way home. Magic.