This article was originally published in the May/June 1994 issue
of Home Energy Magazine. Some formatting inconsistencies may be
evident in older archive content. | Home Energy Home Page | Back
Issues of Home Energy | Home Energy Magazine Online May/June
1994 Do Refrigerator Thermostat Setups Save Energy? In its
February 1994 issue, Consumer Reports described tests performed
on a collection of upscale refrigerators. One feature tested was
energy use. The test procedure differed from the one the U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE) uses to rate refrigerators, however,
because the freezer temperature setting was 5deg.F lower in the
Consumer Reports tests. Since a refrigerator's energy
consumption is quite sensitive to temperature settings--both
inside the refrigerator and in the kitchen, garage, or basement
--the energy use measured by Consumer Reports was higher than
that shown on the DOE labels. Thanks to Consumer Reports'
measurements, Home Energy can now answer a frequently asked
question: How much does the setti