When upgrading to a new refrigerator or freezer, there are three things that you should consider:
First, how old is your refrigerator/freezer? While your old refrigerator may still look good and work well, if it is more than 15 years old, it's more than likely using a significant amount of energy -- in fact, more than twice the energy of a new ENERGY STAR certified model. In addition, since refrigerant wears out and seals start to leak over time, the unit's performance will start to suffer as well.
Second, how much are you paying to keep this refrigerator running? Replacing your old refrigerator with a new one that has earned the ENERGY STAR and properly recycling the old one could save you about $150 and reduce your carbon footprint by about 4,000 pounds of CO2 over the 12-year lifetime of the product. Enter your refrigerator configuration, model year and size into the Flip Your Fridge Calculator to get a better idea of the relative operating cost of your current model in comparison to a new ENERGY STAR certified model.
Lastly, what's the right way to dispose of your old refrigerator? Replacing and properly recycling your old refrigerator prevents a total of about 4,000 pounds of greenhouse gases over the lifetime of the fridge. Here are 4 Ways to recycle your old refrigerator.
Visit www.energystar.gov/refrigerators to learn more.