How much electricity does the refrigerator consume and how to calculate consumption

The refrigerator can consume energy in different quantities, and the conditions of its operation also depend on this.

To calculate how much electricity your refrigerator will use in a year, you need to know how many liters of water it can hold in the freezer and how much of a cooling chamber you need.

Energy classes

Energy efficiency classes for refrigerators are designated by letters from A to G.

Class A refrigerators are characterized by high energy efficiency. Today, class A + refrigerators are considered quite economical. The refrigerator will work as long as a conventional 100 watt incandescent lamp, and energy consumption will be reduced by 90%.

Class A ++ are refrigerators with ultra-low energy consumption. These refrigerators use even less energy than an A+ class refrigerator.

And finally, A+++ are the most energy-efficient refrigerators. They save energy even less, but they are quite expensive.

Classes of refrigerators B, C, D, E, F, G - this belongs to the class of "medium and low efficiency". The energy consumption in this case is slightly lower than that of class A+ and class A++ refrigerators, but the price is also lower.

The energy class of the refrigerator must meet your requirements.

How to calculate the electricity consumption of a refrigerator

Calculation for domestic refrigerators must comply with current rules and regulations.

Determination of daily electricity consumption.

Daily electricity consumption is the amount of electricity that is consumed per day. This method is suitable for household refrigerators.

First, the daily heat load on the refrigerator is determined, and then the daily electricity consumption:

1. Thermal load on the refrigerator: W = V x tp x P x n x K, where: V is the volume of the refrigerator compartment, l; p is a coefficient showing how much m3 of air occupies 1 m3 of chamber volume; n is the number of chambers in the refrigerator; K is the number of hours in a day.
2. Refrigerator demand for electricity: W = W1 х k1 х I1, where: W1 — daily electricity consumption by the refrigerator, kWh; k1 is the capacity utilization factor of the refrigerator; I1 is the power of the refrigeration unit, W.
3. Daily electricity consumption by the refrigerator: W1 = W / N, where N is the number of chambers in the device.

With this formula, you can calculate all the electrical energy consumed by the refrigerator, which has one common chamber in which food is placed for a long shelf life.

The refrigerator has the capacity indicated in its passport.

Example:

Refrigerator "Atlant" contains three sections for freezing products (freezer and two refrigerators).

In order to determine the amount of electricity that a refrigerator consumes, you need to know how many products are in each section.

Assume that there are foodstuffs weighing 8 kg in the freezer compartment. The temperature inside the chamber is -18 C.

The calculation of the amount of electricity can be made as follows:

• The power of the refrigerator is 1 kW.
• At the same time, one section (refrigerator) works 10 hours a day.
• For one shift, which lasts eight hours, the refrigerator runs 40 minutes.
• If the refrigerator has three sections, then in one shift it consumes 10 * 40 \u003d 400 W or 0.4 kW.

It also determines the thermal load of the device, the daily energy consumption and the power consumed by the device in operation, and on the basis of these data, the power required to maintain the set temperature is calculated.

In this case, the obtained value must be multiplied by a coefficient, which is determined by the formula: tp = t1 + t2, where t1 and t2 are the temperature in the chamber when turning on and off.

The value of the coefficient can vary from 0 to 1. For rooms with a large area, the coefficient 2 is used in the formula.

How much does the refrigerator consume for different periods of time

For an example of calculating energy consumption for different periods of time, let's take a class A refrigerator, Ariston MBA 2200, consuming 360 kW / year:

1. We divide the average annual consumption value (360) by 12 months to find out how much energy the refrigerator consumes in a month. 360/12= 30 kW/month.
2. Now let's find out how much energy this refrigerator consumes daily. For this 360/365, we get a value of 0.986 kW/day.
3. We consider how much energy the refrigerator consumes per hour. (0.986 / 24) ? 1000 = 0.41 kWh. Thus, we have calculated the electricity consumption for the refrigerator.

This allows you to determine how much energy is spent on the operation of the refrigerator per hour, per day, per month and per year.

In order to calculate how much electricity a refrigerator consumes per month in money, you need:

1. Divide the capacity of the refrigerator (indicated in the technical data sheet) by 12 months. For Ariston MBA 2200: 360:12 = 30 kW/month.
2. We multiply the obtained value by the average cost of 1 kilowatt for the Moscow region, the average value is 4.29 rubles.
3. Total we get: 128.7 rubles. It turns out that the Ariston MBA 2200 refrigerator consumes electricity per month by 128.7 rubles.

Similarly, you can calculate the energy consumption of a household refrigerator from any modern manufacturer - Lg, Indesit, Bosch, etc.

What affects the energy consumption of the refrigerator

The following factors affect the electricity consumption of a refrigerator: type of compressor, volume of the refrigerator, type of refrigerator.

Let's analyze each factor separately.

Compressor type

Refrigerator compressors are divided into types - piston, inventory, conventional, linear-inventor.

Refrigerators with reciprocating compressors have a higher capacity because they have a larger cooling system, but the power consumption is also higher.

Refrigerators with an inverter-type compressor also have high power. But these models are less noisy and energy-intensive.

Refrigerators with a conventional type of compress differ only in the number of energy conversion stages. For example, Class A refrigerators have one conversion stage, while Class B refrigerators have two.

Linear Inverter Compressor is the best energy saver as it requires no step changeover and operates without vibration. Such compressors are used in expensive models of refrigerators.

Refrigerator volume

The volume of the refrigerator is a value that affects the amount of electricity consumption, subject to all sanitary standards that are prescribed in the legislative act.

The higher the volume, the greater the electricity consumption will be. To maintain the temperature in the refrigerator, you need a large amount of gas and electricity if it is turned on all the time.

Therefore, some people prefer compact and energy-intensive models.

Refrigerator type

The type of refrigerator affects both electricity consumption and the type of device itself.

There are the following types of refrigerators:

• refrigerators with compressor;
• freezers (freezers);
• freezers;
• refrigerators without compressors (mobile).

Compressors. A refrigerator with a compressor is a device that consists of two parts - a refrigerator and a freezer.The principle of operation of the compressor is that it creates pressure in the refrigeration chamber, which can cause heat leakage. Recently, compressors have been installed mainly in small and narrow models, because they are more economical.

Freezers are refrigerators that work on the principle of a freezer, but inside they do not freeze food, but cool it. That is, instead of freezing, they are cooling. Thanks to this, the freezer significantly saves energy.

Freezers. This type of refrigerator is different in that it does not freeze, but freezes products using special devices.This allows you to significantly reduce electricity consumption.

Mobile refrigerators. As a rule, this type is used for trips or travel. They are a small refrigerator that can be easily transported with you.

Where and how to install the refrigerator

The refrigerator is installed at a distance of at least 50 cm from walls and other objects. It should also be located so that the distance between the wall of the room and the back wall of the refrigerator is at least 10 cm for optimal air circulation.

Installing the refrigerator on an uneven surface can lead to deformation of the fasteners and other consequences associated with improper use of the mechanism.

If possible, observe the dimensions of the niche for installing the refrigerator, indicated in the passport of the refrigerator or on its packaging. It is also recommended that you first familiarize yourself with the information indicated in the passport on how to properly install and connect the refrigerator.

The refrigerator should be located so that switches, burners and electricity are easily accessible.

Make sure that the refrigerator is installed in compliance with all grounding and electrical safety conditions. When installing the refrigerator in a wall niche, it should only be connected to an outlet that includes the supplied plug.

If the refrigerator is not equipped with a plug, use an extension cord suitable for connecting the refrigerator. The refrigerator should be connected to the mains with a voltage corresponding to that indicated on the marking.

After installing the refrigerator, it is necessary to check all its connections for mechanical damage.

If the refrigerator does not work properly, check that the sockets are connected correctly to the power supply.Do not connect the refrigerator to non-standard sockets unless you are sure that they are suitable for this purpose.

If damage is found to the plug, cord, or equipment itself during installation, contact your dealer immediately.

Appropriate openings must be provided in the wall to ensure proper installation and allow the refrigerator to be connected to the power supply.

Energy Saving Tips

In order to save energy with a refrigerator, you can use the following tips:

1. Do not defrost the refrigerator! The defrosting of refrigerators occurs automatically and significantly extends the life of the device. If it is necessary to defrost the refrigerator, then this must be done very carefully.
2. Use energy-saving lamps and diodes. These lamps not only save energy, but also reduce the noise level when the refrigerator is running.
3. Set the thermostat to the lowest temperature setting.
4. Use double door seals. This will keep the refrigerator warm.
5. Install a compressor with an auto-restart function that will reduce energy consumption. The refrigerator will restart in the mode in which it was turned off.
6. Use the vacation feature more often.
7. Disable the automatic defrost function.

Useful video

You can find out how much electricity a refrigerator consumes for any period of time using a wattmeter.The video shows just such a measurement method: