Buying a new fridge or freezer is an investment that you make for the long term, but that you don’t want to spend too much time on. In Keukenland is the summer period that the most refrigerators and freezers are sold. That is why Etna shares 5 smart tips that you may not immediately think of, but which make the difference.
In the winter months we do our best to save energy, but it is also time to pay attention during warm periods. The fridge and freezer then turn overtime, even when we are on vacation. Read here 5 tips for an energy -efficient fridge and freezer during the summer holidays, below you can read 5 things that you don’t think about when buying a fridge or freezer.
1. Sound
Do you have an open kitchen? Then it is good to look at how much sound a fridge makes. Nowadays, refrigerators make much less noise than before, but there are major differences. The quietest models have a noise level of about 32 decibels.
Up to 35 dB: very quiet, hardly audible in an open kitchen.
36–40 dB: Still quiet, audible in a quiet room but not disturbing.
40–42 dB: average, this is common with standard refrigerators.
43 dB or higher: well audible, but suitable for, for example, the garage or utility room.
2. Energy consumption
Recent research by Etna shows that energy efficiency in kitchen appliances is found most important in refrigerators, followed by freezers. If you are looking for a new model, you will notice that there are major differences between the energy labels.
Because 54% of the Dutch are willing to pay more for a device with a better energy label, it is useful to know what to look out for. Energy label C (or lower) currently applies to an American refrigerator as very energy efficient. With a fridge-freezer combination that is energy label A. For built-in refrigerators it is slightly different: a model with energy label D is currently considered economical.
3. Humidity and temperature control
Temperature and moisture control have a lot of influence on the shelf life of fresh and prepared foods in the refrigerator. So see if you can find a model where cool air is spread evenly through the refrigerator part, so that everything stays longer. Many refrigerators nowadays also have vegetable drawers, such as the Convert Freshzones at Etna, where the humidity can be set separately. This way your salad stays fresh and crispy for longer.
4. Maintenance
A well -maintained device uses less energy and lasts longer. Occasionally taking the rubbers in the door is therefore a rewarding task. The freezer also thaws, but luckily many models nowadays have a ‘no-frost’ function that saves a lot of time.
5. Water and ice cream
A boiling water tap has since been established, a water and ice disperser is still on the rise. If you drink a lot of water, a fridge with water and ice disperser is a nice investment: nice a can cool water with ice cream when eating or quickly filling a water bottle: done in this way. There are models with a fixed water connection or with a reservoir that you can fill in.
