Appliances - Tips & Tools

Clothes Washers
Clothes Dryers
Dishwashers
Freezers
Ranges
Refrigerators

The first step is to determine the size of freezer you need. A good indication is 130 L (4.5 cu. ft.) of capacity per person, or less. Anything larger could waste energy and your money. As well, make sure that the freezer will fit easily into the space available. Without sufficient clearances on the side and back, the unit will not operate as efficiently as it should. Once you've determined the size of freezer you need, compare different models and look for the lowest EnerGuide rating.

Keep in mind that if you have the space, chest freezers (with the lid on top) are far more energy-efficient than upright models (which resemble a refrigerator) for two reasons. First, they tend to do a better job of keeping the cold air inside the freezer when the door is open. Second, most chest freezers are "manual defrost", eliminating the energy used by the automatic defrost feature.