Cool your food without heating up your bills!
In France, all households are equipped with at least one refrigerator (source GIFAM, 2019). They are connected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year!
The refrigerator(s) item represents on average 14% of a household’s electricity consumption (excluding heating and electric water heaters). By choosing a device recommended by Guide Topten, the consumption of this item can be reduced by 50%! It is therefore worth paying attention to when buying it.
And this is not negligible on a collective level. According to our calculations, if all the refrigerators purchased in France in 2019 alone had been at the best level identified by Guide Topten, the energy savings over the lifetime of these appliances would have represented more than the electricity consumption of all Parisians for one year (2.4 million people).
Tips for buying well
Buy an efficient refrigerator
Since March 1, 2021, with the new energy label, refrigerators are classified from A (very efficient) to G (low efficiency). Refrigerators formerly classified as A+++ are now divided into classes C, D, or E. We do not yet have class, A and B refrigerators on the market but the objective is now for manufacturers to improve efficiency and the innovation of the new refrigerators which will appear in the coming years on our market. Updating our selections will allow us to keep you informed of the changes observed.
Today, the most efficient refrigerators are class C!
Pay attention to the recommended room temperature (climate class in °C)
The climatic class indicates the ranges of ambient temperatures (kitchen, cellar, etc.) Defined by the manufacturer for the correct operation of the appliances. Below or above these values, device performance is affected:
If the temperature is too low, the engine may stop.
Beyond the indicated temperature, the device risks operating continuously (and therefore over-consuming and wearing out more quickly).
The higher the temperature around the device, the more energy your device will use to maintain the set temperature in the device. Do not place your device right next to a heat source and choose a device suitable for the climate zone in which you find yourself.
The climatic classes can be found on the technical documentation and inside the appliance (often behind the vegetable drawer). For more details on the different classes, see our “Understanding Our Selections” page.
Device for your needs
Here are some elements to help you choose the volume of your refrigerator:
- The number of people: count about 100 liters for one person to which you add 50 to 60 liters per additional person,
- The number of meals eaten at home per week,
- The filling rate of your device,
- The volume of fresh and frozen products,
- The cooking method: day to day, for several days, etc.
Different devices for different services
“Table Top”: appliance equipped with a door whose top is at the height of the worktop, generally 85 cm (it can also slide under the worktop). It usually consists of a refrigerator (for fresh food) and sometimes a small compartment for making ice, storing frozen food or ตู้แช่ freezing.
1 door, “Simple cold” or “Useful”: single-door appliance, consisting of a refrigerator (for fresh foodstuffs) and possibly an ice-making and frozen storage compartment, which can sometimes freeze foodstuffs (4 stars).
“Double cold” or “Double door”: device equipped with 2 doors and composed of 2 compartments. A main compartment for storing fresh foodstuffs surmounted by a compartment sometimes intended for storing frozen foodstuffs (3 stars) or, most often, a freezer (4 stars).
“Combined” or “Duo”: device equipped with 2 doors and made up of 2 compartments. A freezer in the lower part surmounted by a compartment for storing fresh foodstuffs. Some have one or two motors, making it possible to regulate the temperatures in a common or independent way of the different parts.
“Side by side” or “American refrigerator”: appliance generally of very large volume equipped with several doors and consisting of a refrigerator and a freezer. These devices do not meet our selection criteria, they exceed our maximum consumption thresholds by category. They are not affected by our classification.
If you already have a freezer, it is not necessarily useful to have a ตู้แช่เย็น refrigerator with a freezer compartment. This will save energy.
The different functions of the freezer compartment are as follows:
- 4 stars (****): freezer compartment – 18°C, able to freeze food
- 3 stars (***): long-term storage compartment – 18°C, keeps frozen foods but has no freezing power
- 2 stars (**): short-term storage compartment – 12°C, keeps frozen foods for a few weeks
- 1 star (*): ice compartment – 6°C, making ice cubes and storing frozen food for a few days
