Do I really need a new fridge?

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Do I really need a new fridge?
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Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 9:26 am Post subject: Do I really need a new fridge?

I have an old fridge (about 18 years old). Currently accepted wisdom is that I ï¿½shouldï¿½ replace it with a new A+ graded model because this will use less energy.
But ï¿½ I want to know how much energy & resources will be used in the manufacture, advertising & transport of the new fridge, and the transport & recycling of the old one, and how long it will take for the reduced energy consumption of the new fridge to balance out the energy used in making the new one & recycling the old one?
Am I really an eco-criminal for keeping my old fridge, or am I actually doing the right thing because in the time Iï¿½ve had my fridge, my neighboursï¿½ house has had at least three different ones, each with its own embodied energy.

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28251
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 9:30 am Post subject:
I'd be amazed if the math made it make sense to change the Fridge. It's different with say a boiler where it does make sense. We really need somewhere where you can see the figures though

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 9:39 am Post subject:

My brother recently changed his freezer but only after running a power monitor on the old one and discovering just how much power it wasted. A modern fridge might use 200KWh a year or about ï¿½25 - ï¿½30 of electricity. If you have an 18 year old fridge it could be costing three or four times that. So changing it might pay for itself in three years or so and from a purely financial point of view be worth doing. If you really want to know if it's worth it then get one of those power monitor things, see how much power your current fridge uses and then do the numbers.

leggy

Joined: 16 Jan 2009
Posts: 340
Location: Monmouth

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 9:42 am Post subject:
but would the new fridge last 3 years

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 9:54 am Post subject:
It would make economic sense in the long run. The fridge will be recycled and you'll have lower energy consumption costs (assuming you replace with a high efficiency low energy model) Also, consider the old fridge may contains CFC's.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 10:31 am Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Also, consider the old fridge may contains CFC's.

But replacing the fridge won't have prevent those CFCs being released or removed correctly in future so that's not a reason to replace a fridge now. (ie if the damage has already been done then you may as well carry on)

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 10:52 am Post subject:

JB wrote:

vegplot wrote:

Also, consider the old fridge may contains CFC's.

They are disposed of properly if taken to a recycling station. If you have a refrigerant leak in an old fridge you'll be pumping out CFC's. Better to have it 'put down' properly to avoid this happening.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 10:59 am Post subject:

vegplot wrote:

Do they tend to leak? I would have thought a refrigerant leak would have been a total failure of the fridge, hence the reason I thought it was unlikely.

marigold

Joined: 02 Sep 2005
Posts: 12458
Location: West Sussex

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 11:02 am Post subject:
Some friends had this dilemma a while ago, it was solved when the 20+ year old fridge/freezer died of natural causes and they had to replace it anyway. Ponder long enough and the problem will solve itself... .

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 11:11 am Post subject:

We got a fridge on freecycle about 2 months ago.
We needed a second fridge for me to keep my eggs in (only eggs), and it had to be reasonably new, so we went on freecycle with the aim to get a reasonable one. Our existing fridge could then be used for the eggs, and the freecycle one we'd use.

A lovely couple in wadebridge offered us theirs.
When we went to collect it, it was sparkling! Less than 2 months old, and they were replacing it because they had just bought a new kitchen from Ikea and the white goods were all included!

2month old fridge! Clean as if they'd never used it!

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 11:16 am Post subject:

jema wrote:

We really need somewhere where you can see the figures though

I'm sure we discussed this yonks back, but is there a way you can create a simple database for facts and figures like this, something searchable and useful for calculations? A sort of downsizer facts and figures wiki/database?

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 11:16 am Post subject:

JB wrote:

vegplot wrote:

Do they tend to leak? I would have thought a refrigerant leak would have been a total failure of the fridge, hence the reason I thought it was unlikely.

It's 18 years old and therefore as time goes by the risk becomes greater. Combine this with a lower energy consumption of a new fridge it makes sense to do this before the old fridge fails.

vegplot

Joined: 19 Apr 2007
Posts: 21301
Location: Bethesda, Gwynedd

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 11:18 am Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

Doesn't that dehydrate them?

Lorrainelovesplants

Joined: 13 Oct 2006
Posts: 6521
Location: Dordogne

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 11:23 am Post subject:
No, according to the CIEH Food Safety course I did yesterday, eggs are best stored in chilled conditions, between 0 and 5 degrees. This prevents any bacterial growth. (Best practice).

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91ï¿½ N

Posted: Fri Jan 23, 09 11:28 am Post subject:

Lorrainelovesplants wrote:

No, according to the CIEH Food Safety course I did yesterday, eggs are best stored in chilled conditions, between 0 and 5 degrees. This prevents any bacterial growth.
(Best practice).

So why do shops not bother with chilled storage for eggs?

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