That poor, old, noisy refrigerator that’s clunking away in your kitchen is on its last leg and you’re only holding on to save money by avoiding buying a new appliance. The truth is, you’re probably stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. In other words, the cost of operating an old, worn out refrigerator is draining your wallet vis-à-vis your electric bill. What’s more, it’s probably costing you more money in wasted food because that costly nutrition isn’t being kept at a proper, consistent level.About Refrigerator Performance
In fact, if your refrigerator was built before 1995, it was manufactured with a chemical compound that you’ve likely heard about, chlorofluorocarbon, or CFC, which is a refrigerant that is a combination of chlorine, fluorine and carbon. Those gases are quite unhealthy when released into the air. So the longer you keep that old fridge limping along, the more of a health hazard it poses. Refrigerator manufacturers stopped making appliances with CFC’s in 2005, and, for good reason.You’re wasting $65 or more in electricity to run a fridge that’s at the end of its life. Before it breaks and leaves you with a lot of spoiled food on your hands, replace it with an Energy Star qualified fridge or freezer that’s no bigger than you need. They cost only half as much to run and offer advanced technology to keep your food fresher longer. —Energy Star.govThe typical refrigerator lasts between 10 and 20 years. After that time frame, it might still function, but it won’t do so efficiently and that wastes electricity and food. In fact, an old refrigerator, or, one’s that’s over 15 years of age, will take up as much as 14 percent of your total electric bill. If your fridge is less than 8 years old, then you might opt for to repair it. That will certainly be less costly than replacing the appliance, but if that’s not really a viable alternative, you’ll have to replace it.
