Replace Your Fridge with a New Energy Star Model

New Energy Star refrigerators will use 25% less electricity than comparable models today.

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Photo: Kim Steele / Getty Images

By Dan Shapley

By 2014, a new refrigerator labeled with the Energy Star sticker will use 25% less electricity than an Energy Star model for sale today.

At that time, the typical refrigerator for sale will use one-fifth as much energy as one sold in the mid-1970s, before energy efficiency laws first took effect, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. At the same time, the average new fridge is 20% larger but costs 60% less, showing how energy efficiency rules don't, as critics sometimes argue, lead to higher costs or worse service.

When the new standards take effect, an Energy Star refrigerator will save the average household as much as $270 in electricity costs annually, compared to the most energy efficient fridge on the market in 1978. In other words, if you have an older, inefficient fridge, think about replacing it. But if you can wait, the refrigerators for sale in 2014 will be that much more efficient than those sold today.

If you're buying a new refrigerator today, check the Energy Star's new list of most efficient models, and check to see if you can apply for any state or local incentives to subsidize the cost.

Or look to the Energy Star-certified Good Housekeeping Seal, recently bestowed upon the LG LFX31925. ($3,000 at homedepot.com)

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