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A refrigerator consumes the most energy of all domestic appliances and represents 11 per cent of your total household energy consumption. To ensure that your home refrigerator is using as little energy as required, set the temperature at 2–3 °C and keep your coils clean.
Fast and Free
- Set refrigerator temperature at 2–3°C. Any colder and it costs more to operate and creates unwanted frost. Any warmer and although you will save energy, food will spoil more quickly.
- Set freezer temperatures to around -18 °C and use the energy-saver switch if your model offers it.
- Cool hot food before placing it in the refrigerator so that you don't let valuable energy go to waste.
- Your freezer or refrigerator must work harder when placed next to a heat source such as a radiator, heating vent, washer, dryer or furnace.
- Minimize opening the oven door when in use. Your cookies and cakes will thank you for it.
- Use a microwave as much as possible instead of a conventional oven or stove.
- Clean the dryer’s lint filter after every load.
- Wring out your clothes before putting them in the dryer to reduce your drying time.
- Maximize heat from the dryer by drying consecutive loads or by hanging clothes on a clothesline. Did you know that the sun is a natural disinfectant?
- Wash full loads of laundry only and pre-treat stains to reduce water and save energy. Use short wash cycles for lightly soiled loads as they tend to use less water than permanent press or normal cycles.
- Air dry your dishes on an ENERGY STAR® dishwasher by selecting the no-heat drying cycle (air drying). If you don't have a “no-heat” dry setting, open the door and let the dishes air dry.
- Fill your dishwasher full to save more on water and heating than running half-loads.
- Save heating water costs by using cold water for the wash cycle, instead of hot water. You can save a whopping 85–90 per cent of heating energy by washing clothes in cold water.
- Defrost your freezer regularly to keep it working efficiently.
- Don’t use appliances that give off heat or moisture at the hottest times of the day. Instead, prepare no-cook meals or barbecue.
Simple and Low Cost
- Consider purchasing green power from your local energy provider (see below for links).
- Purchase an indoor clothes rack for indoor and winter clothes drying. Remove clothes from the dryer when slightly damp and then dry on rack.
- Save $150 or more in electricity each year by discarding your second refrigerator. If you must have a second refrigerator, use a bar refrigerator instead of a full-sized one.
Spend to Save
- A new refrigerator or freezer will consume up to three times less electricity than an old one. A 2007 ENERGY STAR® refrigerator uses one third of the energy used by a refrigerator made in 1984.
- Make the switch to as many ENERGY STAR® ® appliances as possible.
- An ENERGY STAR® clothes washing machine uses 35–50 per cent less water and 50 per cent less energy per load than the average washing machine.
- Consider buying a front-loading washing machine, which uses almost half the water per load than conventional ones. They also squeeze more water out of clothes so less drying time is required.
Learn More
- Appliances, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada
- A Consumer Guide to Green Power in Canada—How to Buy Green Power in Alberta
- Bullfrog Power: A source for green power
- Climate Change Central
- ENMAX Greenmax: This is a utility owned by the City of Calgary that provides Green Power to residents at a comparable rate to traditional suppliers
- Solar Energy Society of Canada
- ecoENERGY Retrofit Grant for Replacing your Furnace. You may be eligible for an ecoENERGY Retrofit grant of $300-$500 from National Resources Canada for replacing your existing furnace with an EnergyStar model. Rebates are available until March 2011 and may require an energy audit by an NRCan-licensed advisor.
