With the many styles, colours, and features to choose from, shopping for a new refrigerator may be entertaining. But if, upon taking your new fridge home, you discover that it does not fit in the area or the door will not open far enough to pull out the crisper drawers, your excitement may rapidly turn into severe aggravation. A knowledgeable appliance salesperson will be able to help you choose the model that meets your expectations in terms of price and performance. The following, however, are a few things to remember that you probably won’t learn about at the store.
Confirm that it will really fit!
Yet, refrigerators aren’t designed to fit into the standard-sized holes found in cabinets. Stoves and dishwashers fall within this category. If you’re lucky, you’ll find one that’s the right length but the wrong height. When you go grocery shopping, jot down the dimensions of your refrigerator in terms of its width and height. This will ensure that there are no surprises when the package finally arrives at your door. If you want a simple installation and enough ventilation, give the fridge an extra inch on each side. You should also measure the width and height of the doorways leading into your kitchen to ensure that the new fridge will fit.
For further details, please refer to the EnergyGuide label
Use the information on the EnergyGuide labels to determine the annual operating costs of the various refrigerators on your list. If you know how much it costs to run your current fridge, you can figure out how much money you’ll save by switching to a newer, more energy-efficient model. To calculate this, multiply your energy cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) by the number of kWh shown as “expected yearly power use” on your EnergyGuide label. If the label says annual use is 630 kWh and your electricity is 8 cents per kWh, you would multiply the two numbers to get $50.40.
Verify the availability of components
When purchasing a refrigerator made in another country, find out from a local appliance repair company whether the components needed are readily available. It may be time-consuming and expensive to track down replacement parts for some appliance brands that were manufactured in other countries. Get an estimate on the price of repairs for the model you want to buy. At the refrigerator store you can know all about it.
See how much money you are losing because of your fridge’s age
Some cost savings might be realised by purchasing a new, energy-efficient refrigerator. To establish how much you will save, though, you must first know how much it costs to run your current fridge. Find out how much your energy provider is charging you per kilowatt hour by looking at your most recent power bill (kWh). This might be anything from 7 cents to 40 cents per kilowatt-hour (cents/kWh) in different parts of the country. The next thing to do is count the number of kilowatt hours your fridge uses every year. The most precise readings may be obtained by hooking up your refrigerator to a special metre that measures its energy use in kilowatt-hours.
