Energy Efficient Refrigerator

In preparation of the new apartment, I started looking out for a new fridge and the first thing I did was to head to NEA database of registered goods to check out the list energy efficient fridges.

The common misconception that most consumers have is that the number of ticks determined the cost savings that they can look forward to. However, not all products with 4 ticks (the highest so far) means they all consume the same amount of energy.

The number of ticks represents efficiency based on a formula, not the amount of energy it uses, therefore a small fridge with 3 ticks may actually use less energy that a huge fridge with 4 ticks simply because of the latter's size and the amount of energy needed to run effectively.

I downloaded the database and created a column that measures the annual energy consumed over volume ratio (the lower being better). From that list, you will notice that some 3 tick fridges are more efficient  in terms of AEC/volume than those with 4 ticks for reasons I mentioned earlier. However, a small fridge within the same model range may have a higher AEC/volume ratio than its bigger siblings because they may use the same compressor (hence similar energy consumption) to cool a smaller volume (hence inefficient)

So the important thing is to first decide on how big a volume do you need then narrow down the models. The best way to do this is to base it on your current fridge that you have now. If it is already bursting on its seems, then, you may need a bigger volume fridge and vice versa.

You can download the file here. Take note that the volume stated may look different from the manufacturer because it is net volume and not gross volume.