Location
It is recommended to find a rather cool location for cold appliances and not to place them near a heat source: stove, dishwasher, radiator, solar radiation, etc. The ideal is to place your refrigerator in an unheated space.
Recessing a device leads to an increase in energy consumption, especially if there is not enough space between the device and the walls that surround it because the condenser emits heat and the Air must be able to circulate properly.
The European standard for built-in appliances assumes a recess of at least 60 cm in width.
Food storage
Do not store hot food in your appliance, allow it to cool to room temperature first. This is one of the first habits to adopt to save money.
Packaging can be an ally or an enemy of food preservation. We distinguish:
- Unnecessary packaging that must be removed before storing the products in the refrigerator (commercial “over-packaging”, yogurt packs, promotional packs, etc.)
- Protective packaging that helps to preserve foodstuffs for longer (cling film, containers with lids, etc.).
- Thus, it is necessary to cover the cooked dishes and take the time to wrap the food well: these simple gestures reduce the risk of contamination between the foods, prevent the spread of odors between the products and reduce the formation of frost in the appliance…and therefore the risk of overconsumption.
Internal temperature
The refrigeration compartment is intended for the conservation of unfrozen food at an average temperature of 5°C, it can be compartmentalized to provide storage space reserved for certain types of food. Since the publication of a decree in April 2002, the coldest zone of this compartment must be clearly indicated; it is in this area that so-called “highly perishable” foods must be stored.
For the freezing part of your appliance, the ideal temperature of the ตู้แช่ freezing compartment is – 18°C. It is important to set it correctly if you do not want to consume energy unnecessarily. In general, users maintain a temperature that is too low in their freezer, thus causing overconsumption of energy of 15% compared to the average values.
Maintenance
According to the interprofessional group of manufacturers (GIFAM), a refrigerator is opened more than 50 times a day in a family of 4 people.
During long periods of absence (holidays), empty the appliance completely, clean it, unplug it and leave the door open.
Regularly check the condition of the door seals. If frost forms quickly or if the space between the seals is large enough to allow a sheet of paper to pass through, the seals are no longer airtight and must be changed.
Make sure that air circulates freely behind the appliance and regularly dust the grilles at the back of your refrigerator.
At the end of life
Pursuant to a European Directive, a new law on the treatment of waste requires distributors, when selling electrical or electronic household equipment, to take back free of charge or to have them taken back free of charge on their behalf used electrical and electronic equipment that gives him the consumer (resumption of “one for one”).
The implementation of these new essential treatment channels has a cost, which will be paid by consumers (you will find this information on your “cost of the ecological contribution” invoice, i.e. From €10 to €23 for refrigerators. Indeed, since July 1, 2010, this eco-contribution can be adjusted according to environmental criteria, to take into account the presence (or not, when the design of the devices is more careful) of substances that are particularly polluting or difficult to treat.
If you do not wish to replace your device, the eco-systemes site lists the collection points of the approved sector closest to your home.
How it works?
Refrigerators and freezers keep food at low temperatures by absorbing and dissipating heat from the interior compartment using refrigerants.
Their electrical consumption essentially depends on the heat that must be absorbed inside the appliance (which itself depends on the quantity of food to be kept cold, its temperature before it enters the refrigerator, the number of door openings, appliance insulation, compressor cycles, etc.). It also depends on the efficiency of the refrigeration system, ie the efficiency of the compressor motor.
The compressor
The compressor pumps the ตู้แช่เย็น refrigerant through the cooling circuit. It is usually located on the back and bottom of the device, inside an oval box. Some appliances have two compressors: one for the freezer, and the other for the refrigerator. As they are autonomous, one can choose to stop one or the other when planning a prolonged absence, for example.
The capacitor
This part of the refrigeration system releases the heat into the ambient air. The capacitor is almost always located at the back of the devices and comes in the form of a large metal grid that acts as a heatsink.
The evaporation system
The evaporation system recovers the heat from the compartment to circulate it in the refrigerant. Appliances that have multiple compressors often also have multiple evaporation systems. Most recent models integrate the evaporator inside the walls.
