Refrigerators are energy hogs. Anything that you can do to make them more efficient will save you money.
Most people do not usually think of their refrigerator when planning to reduce the energy costs of their home. In most households, the refrigerator is just that big box that sits in the kitchen full of food. The reality is that it requires a pile of energy to drive the compressor and frost free fans that keep your food and other items at a safe temperature.
Begin conserving energy by placing your refrigerator in a location that is not in direct sunlight. Keeping the sun off of your box will keep it from getting extra warmth that must be offset by more energy to keep your food fresh. Position your refrigerator away from heat vents and your stove, too. Both of these will create more heat to battle.
Electric motors and radiators both work better when they are clean. This makes the motor run cooler and more efficiently with less internal friction. Radiators do a better job when air can flow over them freely. Your refrigerator has both of these items. So, keeping them as clean as possible will reduce the amount of energy that your refrigerator needs to do its job.
Every time that the door of the fridge is opened, some of the cool air escapes. Set times that the refrigerator is not to be opened. This will help a lot if you have family members that like to just stand and stare into the cold abyss. If you have a side by side freezer/refrigerator, try to remove everything that you might need for the next several hours with only opening the door once. These two efforts can reduce your energy loss by a quarter or more.
Unless you have to, do not put hot or warm items into the box until they have cooled to room temperature. Items like milk that make the journey in and out of the refrigerator need to be replaced before they can warm up. This makes them last longer, and your refrigerator needs less energy to re-cool them.
Put a thermometer into your refrigerator. This will let you check the precise temperature that you are keeping your food. Check it near the top and near the bottom to get a good idea of how cold it is. If it is more than 40 degrees, you may need to lower your settings a little. If it is less than 35 degrees, you can raise the temperature a little. Keeping the right setting will keep your food better and conserve as much energy as possible.
Keeping your freezer and refrigerator at least one half full will save in the long run. This is true because the cold or frozen food will give extra cooling power to keep the interior cold when the door is opened and closed.
Here in the LipsYard house we have a bottom freezer refrigerator in the kitchen, and the old one in the basement (for fruit and beverages.) Bottom freezer units use less energy than top freezers. Most people use the refrigerator more than the freezer, so having it on the bottom puts your most used food at a higher level.
Every Green Thursday (and the odd Friday) we post information that you can use at home to save energy, and the planet.
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