AMERICANS are looking for ways to save as the weather heats up.
A small change on your refrigerator could save you money on energy bills this year.
Refrigerators come with a variety of temperature settings — but if your fridge is set to be colder than necessary, you are likely using extra energy.
Energy keeps your fridge cool, but by setting it to be just cold enough to keep food safe, you could save big.
If you adjust your fridge temperature from 30 degrees Fahrenheit to 38 degrees Fahrenheit, you could save around $43 every year.
THE CALCULATION
The FDA recommends keeping your fridge at or below 40 degrees.
However, as refrigerator thermometers are not always consistent, it may be wise to aim slightly lower, around 38 degrees.
Any hotter than 40, and bacteria can rapidly multiply.
Switching a fridge from 30 to 38 would be an eight-degree increase.
According to Edison International, a ten-degree change in fridge temperature could impact your bill by 25%.
For an eight-degree increase in temperature, that could be around 20%.
Energy bills and refrigerator energy usage varies widely, but assuming an energy cost around 25 cents per kilowatt-hour and refrigerator energy usage of 72 kilowatt-hours per month, that means changing the temperature would save you $3.60 each month.
Annually, that adds up to $43.20.
However, the change may not be instantaneous.
Fridges can take time to reach new temperatures after an adjustment.
According to manufacturer GE, an average refrigerator needs 24 hours to fully adjust to a new temperature.
On the scale of a full month or year, however, that’s not a long wait.
Everyone’s energy bill varies, so to calculate your savings on your own you will need to know your own approximate energy cost and fridge energy consumption.
MORE WAYS TO SAVE
Fridge adjustments aren’t the only way to save on energy.
With climate change making summers hotter and longer and inflation pushing up costs, many people are looking for tricks to save on cooling.
Some simple things — like the direction your fan spins — could save you money.
The U.S. Sun compiled six tricks to save up on energy bills.
See how much it may cost to leave a fan running all night.
