Today’s coolers and refrigerators may not be currently drilling a hole in the ozone layer but outdated units are still emitting greenhouse gases which are warming our planet.

The Energy Efficiency of European Refrigerators

In the last twenty years, incredible progress has been made to build energy efficient refrigerator models that consume only half a kilowatt-hour per day. Europe managed to deal with this problem by making it required for technology and appliance providers to produce energy efficient European refrigerators that satisfy the A-class energy efficiency rating. By April 2012, only these particular designs are going to be readily available for sale in the European marketplace.

In general, most refrigerators are now categorized as A, which means an energy usage of approximately 179 kWh/year. These are considered as being the most energy efficient models that you can buy. B and C rated models are just as good however they are cheaper and a lot more affordable. They offer power consumption levels of 402 kWh/year. The European market will not permit the sale of products ranging from D to G.

Certification of European Refrigerators

Within the US, the Energy Star commission is concerned with household appliances and accredits them for home usage upon approving usability, performance, ergonomics and power efficiency. However, in Europe, power efficiency might be measured by the TCO organization or by the European Commission for Energy. Directive number 92/75 at first stipulated that all models of refrigerators had to have product labels or stickers about the energy efficiency of the model.

This sticker and labeling turned out to be so beneficial in reducing power consumption that two additional optional classes of energy saving refrigerators and freezers labeled as A+ and A++ were put in place. Market research completed in 2010 also demonstrated that shoppers did take note of the colorful labels and a big majority of people in Denmark, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom recognized and referred to the labels prior to purchase. Buyers were so pleased with the decreased power bills that they were more than happy to pay a bit more for those products.

Power Savings on Refrigerators

Favorite European models like Electrolux, Bausch, Maytag, Prestige, and Gorenje currently offer a number of wonderfully colored models that are listed on the market at very affordable rates but with the best energy savings on every one of them. Out of the many products that individuals can choose from, the Electrolux two-door refrigerator-freezer as well as , Whirlpool’s one-door cabinet refrigerator were given Europe’s Energy Plus honor. This particular award was exclusively set up by the European Commission to honor the best and most energy efficient products on the market. Electrolux utilizes 203 KWh of electricity each year while Whirlpool utilizes 175 kWh of electrical power annually.

However, the precise style of the refrigerator will also impact the energy usage. European products use a regular 60cm depth plus a narrow width but fairly high height that runs up to 2.5 meters. Bigger designs with smaller doors do demand more power but makers have come up with cooling methods that will still make these models the best in the whole world.

Are you shopping for a refrigerator? Be sure to visit the Narrow Refrigerators site for tips on buying tall refrigerators or thin refrigerators.