How much electricity a fridge consumes and how to calculate its consumption

Your refrigerator can use different amounts of power, and the conditions in which you use it depend on this as well.

To calculate how much electricity your refrigerator will use in a year, you need to know how many liters of water it can hold in the freezer compartment and how much cooling space you will need.

Energy Classes

All refrigerators are labeled with energy classes from A to G.

A-class refrigerators are characterized by high energy efficiency. Class A+ refrigerators are currently considered to be quite economical. The refrigerator will work as long as an ordinary 100-watt incandescent bulb would work, and the power consumption is reduced by 90 percent.

Class A++ are refrigerators with ultra-low energy consumption. These refrigerators use even less energy than a Class A+ refrigerator.

And finally, A+++ are the most energy-efficient refrigerators. They have even lower energy savings, but they are also quite expensive.

Class B, C, D, E, F, G refrigerators are of the "medium and low economy" class. Energy consumption in this case is slightly lower than that of class A+ and class A++ refrigerators, but the price is also lower.

The power consumption class of your refrigerator must meet your requirements.

How to calculate the power consumption of your refrigerator

The calculation for domestic refrigerators must comply with current norms and regulations.

Determining the daily electricity consumption.

The daily electricity consumption is the amount of electricity consumed per day. This method is suitable for domestic refrigerators.

First determine the daily heat load of the refrigerator and then the daily electricity consumption:

1. Refrigerator heat load: W = V x tp x P x n x K, where: V - volume of the refrigerator chamber, l; p - coefficient showing how many m3 of air takes up 1 m3 of chamber volume; n - number of chambers in the refrigerator; K - number of hours in a day.
2. Electricity consumption of the refrigerator: W = W1 x k1 x I1, where: W1 - daily electricity consumption by the refrigerator, kW/hour; k1 - coefficient of power utilization of the refrigerator; I1 - power of the cooling unit, W.
3. Daily power consumption by the refrigerator: W1 = W / N, where N is the number of chambers in the unit.

You can use this formula to calculate all of the electrical energy consumed by a refrigerator that has one common compartment that holds food for long shelf life.

The refrigerator has the wattage listed on its data sheet.

Example:

An Atlant refrigerator contains three sections for freezing food (a freezer section and two refrigerator sections).

In order to determine how much electricity your refrigerator uses, you need to know how much food is in each section.

Let's assume that the freezer section contains food with a weight of 8 kg. The temperature inside the chamber is -18 C.

You can calculate the amount of electricity as follows:

• The power of the refrigerator is 1 kW.
• At the same time one section (refrigerating chamber) works 10 hours a day.
• During one shift, which lasts eight hours, the refrigerator works for 40 minutes.
• If the refrigerator has three sections, it consumes 10*40 = 400 watts or 0.4 kW per shift.

Here you also determine the heat load of the device, the daily power consumption and the power consumed by the device in the operating mode, and based on these data calculate the power required to maintain a given temperature.

In this case, the obtained value must be multiplied by the coefficient, which is determined by the formula: tp = t1 + t2, where t1 and t2 are the temperature in the chamber at switching on and off.

The value of the coefficient can vary from 0 to 1. For rooms with a large area, coefficient 2 is used in the formula.

How much the refrigerator consumes in different time intervals

To give you an example of how much energy a Class A refrigerator, an Ariston MBA 2200, consumes at 360 kW/year, can consume over different time periods:

1. Divide the annual average consumption (360) by 12 months to find out how much energy the refrigerator uses per month. 360/12= 30 kW/month.
2. Now let's find out how much energy this refrigerator consumes on a daily basis. For this 360/365, we get the value 0,986 kW/day.
3. Let's calculate how much energy the refrigerator uses per hour. (0,986 / 24) ? 1000 = 0, 41 kW/h. Thus, we have calculated the power consumption for the refrigerator.

This makes it possible to determine how much energy is spent to operate the refrigerator per hour, per day, per month, and per year.

In order to calculate how much electricity a refrigerator uses per month in money, you need to:

1. Divide the power of the refrigerator(specified in the data sheet) by 12 months. For Ariston MBA 2200: 360:12 = 30 kW/month.
2. Multiply the obtained value by the average cost of 1 kilowatt for the Moscow region average value of 4.29 rubles.
3. Total we get: 128.7 rubles. It turns out that an Ariston MBA 2200 refrigerator consumes 128.7 rubles of electricity per month.

In the same way you can calculate the power consumption of a domestic refrigerator from any modern manufacturer - Lg, Indesit, Bosch, etc.

What affects the power consumption of refrigerator

The following factors influence the power consumption of your refrigerator: type of compressor, refrigerator volume, refrigerator type.

Let's analyze each factor separately.

Compressor type

Refrigerator compressors are divided into types - piston, inventory, conventional, linear-inventor.

Refrigerators with reciprocating compressors have a higher capacity because they have a larger cooling system, but power consumption is also higher.

Refrigerators with an inventory type compressor also have a high capacity. But these models are less noisy and power-hungry.

Refrigerators with a conventional compressor differ only in the number of energy conversion stages. For example, Class A refrigerators have one conversion stage and Class B refrigerators have two.

The linear-inventor compressor is the best energy saver, because it does not require switching the stages of operation and works without vibration. Such compressors are used in expensive models of refrigerators.

Fridge volume

The volume of the refrigerator is a value that affects the amount of electricity consumption, subject to all the sanitary norms that are prescribed in the legislation.

The higher the volume, the higher the electricity consumption will be. The refrigerator requires a large amount of gas and electricity to maintain the temperature in the refrigerator if it is on all the time.

Therefore, some people prefer compact and energy-intensive models.

Type of refrigerator

The type of refrigerator affects both energy consumption and the type of appliance itself.

There are the following types of refrigerators:

• refrigerators with a compressor;
• Freezers; - Freezers;
• freezers;
• Refrigerators without compressors (mobile).

Compressors. A refrigerator with a compressor is a device that consists of two parts - a refrigerator and a freezer.The principle of the compressor is that it creates pressure in the refrigerating chamber, which can cause heat leakage. Recently compressors began to be put mainly in small and narrow models, because they are more economical.

Freezers are refrigerators which work on the principle of a freezer, but inside they do not freeze the products, but cool them. That is, instead of freezing in them there is cooling. Because of this, the freezer saves a lot of energy.

Freezers. This type of refrigerator is different in that it does not freeze, but freezes food with special devices. This allows you to significantly reduce the consumption of electricity.

Mobile refrigerators. As a rule, this type is used for travel or travel. They are a small refrigerator that can be easily transported with you.

Where and How to Install a Refrigerator Properly

Your refrigerator should be installed at least 50 cm away from walls and other objects. And it should also be placed so that there is at least 10 cm distance between the wall of the room and the back of the refrigerator for optimal air circulation.

Installing your refrigerator on an uneven surface may result in distorted mounts and other consequences related to improper use of the mechanism.

If possible, follow the dimensions of the niche for installing your refrigerator as indicated in the refrigerator's data sheet or on its packaging. It is also recommended that you first read the information in the data sheet on how to properly install and connect your refrigerator.

The refrigerator must be positioned so that switches, burners and electricity are easily accessible.

Make sure your refrigerator is installed in accordance with all grounding and electrical safety conditions. If your refrigerator is installed in a wall recess, it should only be plugged into an outlet with the plug provided.

If your refrigerator is not equipped with a plug, use an extension cord that is suitable for connecting your refrigerator. The refrigerator should be plugged in with the voltage corresponding to the voltage indicated on the label.

After installing your refrigerator, check all its connections for mechanical damage.

If your refrigerator is not working properly, check that the power outlets are properly connected to the power supply. Do not plug your refrigerator into non-standard outlets unless you are sure they are suitable for the purpose.

If you find any damage to the plug, cord or the equipment itself during installation, contact your supplier immediately.

To ensure proper installation and make it possible to connect your refrigerator to the power supply, appropriate holes should be provided in the wall.

Tips for saving electricity

You can use the following tips to save energy with your refrigerator:

1. Don't defrost your refrigerator! Refrigerators defrost automatically and will greatly extend the life of your appliance. In case it is necessary to defrost the refrigerator, it should be done very carefully.
2. Use energy-saving lamps and diodes. These bulbs are not only energy efficient, but also reduce the noise level of your refrigerator.
3. Set the thermostat to the minimum temperature setting.
4. Use double door seals to keep your refrigerator warm.
5. Install a compressor with an auto-start feature, which will reduce energy consumption. Your refrigerator will resume operating in the mode you turned it off.
6. Use the "Vacation" function more often.
7. Turn off the auto-defrost function.

Useful video

You can find out how much electricity your refrigerator consumes over any period of time with a wattmeter. This video shows exactly how to measure it: