There are appliances that consume especially a lot of electricity. Precisely, those are the ones that should be controlled the most. One of them is the refrigerator, which in some cases can account for over 30% of the entire monthly expense. It is key not to make mistakes and in this article we are going to talk to you about one that can be common. We are going to tell you what you should avoid doing and save electricity. If you make this mistake, chances are you refrigerator consumes more electricity at certain hours.
Keep in mind that not all models consume the same. A refrigerator from 20 years ago is not the same as a recent one. However, in all of them it will be essential good care and take certain measures to avoid increased consumption. The objective should always be to maintain controlled electricity consumption and not pay more than necessary.
Be careful with overheating
The refrigerator has the clear mission of keep food cold inside. That means it’s going to have to work to lower the temperature. If it is very hot outside, for example, in the summer months, you will use more electricity than if it is very cold, as it can be in the winter months in certain areas.
What happens if the refrigerator, at certain times of the day, gets hotter on the outside? The result will be greater consumption to keep the food inside fresh. This may occur, for example, due to having the appliance near a window where direct sunlight enters. If that light enters, for example, for 4 hours a day, during that time it will overheat and, therefore, it will have to consume more electricity to maintain a good temperature inside.
Something similar could happen if you have the oven near the refrigerator. In this case, every time you use the oven to heat food, it could cause an increase in the outside temperature of the refrigerator. During that time, it will have to run at higher power to maintain the temperature properly. If that happens every day, you will be using more electricity than necessary.
Locate appliances well
This leads us to give an important recommendation: place the appliances well at home. A clear example is the refrigerator. It is essential that away from heat sources. Never put it next to a window where direct sunlight enters. Also, do not put it near other appliances that can generate heat, such as an oven, washing machine, dishwasher, etc.
Also, it is not a good idea to have it in a enclosed place. This is common, especially in older homes. It is not unusual to see a refrigerator inside a hole created just for that. What happen? Since there is not enough space, it will accumulate more heat. That hot air will bounce more easily off the wall and then return to the refrigerator.
The idea is to keep the refrigerator as fresh as possible. Therefore, to save electricity it is important that you locate it well. If you use home automation, you can always create a Wi-Fi map to detect where you may have problems with coverage.
