When you head out to the store to buy your new refrigerator, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
- Buy the appliance that best fits your needs: a fridge with a 100-150 litre capacity is fine for one, while two will need at least a 200-litre fridge. A family of four is best served by a 300-350 litre machine and for groups of five and up, figure on about 50 additional litres per person.
- Remember the traditional star rating system: fridges with just one star have freezers that get as cold as -6�C and don't freeze foods, but rather keep store-bought frozen foods fresh for a maximum of 24 hours. Two-star freezers get down to -12�C, which is cold enough to keep frozen goods for 2-3 days but not enough to freeze your own food. Three-star fridges reach -18�C, the ideal temperature at which to store frozen foods for several months.
- Find out whether or not the manufacturer recycles and picks up old fridges. This information will come in handy when you are ready to dispose of your appliance.

 

Energy labels
Each refrigerator is labelled with a letter from A to G according to its energy efficiency. A represents maximum efficiency and G, minimum. Every appliance is assigned a letter based on a comparative scale developed in Europe in 1993 which measured the annual consumption of refrigerators, washers and so on. On the scale, mid-range appliances were labeled halfway between D and E.

 

Divided into two colums, the labels provide plenty of information. The left side shows the letters with a series of coloured bars which go from green to bright red and identify each category. Below the bars, each appliance features product-specific information. Fridges, for example, indicate energy consumption in kilowatt-hours per year (Kwh./year), as well as the volume of the fridge and freezer and noise production in decibels.

 

Using your fridge: How to save energy
- When installing your new fridge, keep the back part clean and well-ventilated. There should be about 5-10 cm between the appliance and wall. Poorly installed fridges consume up to 15% more energy.
- Leaving the door open or opening it without need wastes energy. Consumption goes up 5% for every extra degree the fridge loses.
- Don't place warm food in the fridge. Doing this only makes the fridge work harder and can damage the cooling system.
- Do not overfill your refrigerator. The air should be able to circulate freely inside the appliance.
- Do not mix raw and cooked foods together. All foods should be stored in sealed, clean, and dry containers to prevent odours, loss of humidity, contamination or mould on the walls.
- Keep meat, fish and ready-to-eat dishes in the coldest part of the fridge.
- Store fruits and vegetables in the bottow drawer, where the fridge doesn't get excessively cold.

- Clean the walls and shelves with soap and water on a regular basis.
- If there is frost in the freezer, defrost as soon as it reaches a thickness of 5-7mm.
- Defrost your fridge every three months to prevent ice from forming on the walls and wearing down the resistance of the appliance.
- Check your fridge with a thermometer to make sure that the cooling system is working well. The temperature should be somewhere between 3-8 degrees Celsius, and the freezer, between -18�C and -25�C.

 

Did you know?
According to the Committee for Statistics and Market Analysis of ANFEL (Asociaci�n Nacional de Fabricantes de Electrodom�sticos de L�nea blanca / National Association of Major White Appliance Manufacturers), 1,680,500 refrigerators were sold in 2003, alongside 749,000 dishwashers and 1,654,300 washing machines.