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Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 4:59 pm
by Odsox
As a follow up to my previous post about being 15 miles from the nearest shop, I thought I would see what the economics of that situation was.
Our car does about 55 mpg and if I were to go shopping for milk 3 times a week instead of the once, that would be an extra 60 miles.
So to keep things simple say one extra gallon, which costs about €5
The fridge uses 0.46 KW per day, 3.3 KW per week (I've measured it for another project), and at today's electricity prices costs me about 44c.
So I think I will keep by fridge until some kind soul builds a shop next door.
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 5:44 pm
by Big Al
Odsox wrote:As a follow up to my previous post about being 15 miles from the nearest shop, I thought I would see what the economics of that situation was.
Our car does about 55 mpg and if I were to go shopping for milk 3 times a week instead of the once, that would be an extra 60 miles.
So to keep things simple say one extra gallon, which costs about €5
The fridge uses 0.46 KW per day, 3.3 KW per week (I've measured it for another project), and at today's electricity prices costs me about 44c.
So I think I will keep by fridge until some kind soul builds a shop next door.
Now as for me I live in a town with shops all over the place both large and small, i live on a bus route that offers free travel to disabled people... (me) and my fridge and freezer uses 3.7kw per day.... our electric is around 18p a unit so it costs us about 70p a day or £316.00 a year after the current price hike.
Horses for courses I think the term is.
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:31 pm
by gug
>my fridge and freezer uses 3.7kw per day
Crumbs... clean those radiator pipes !
Mine uses 0.6kwh / day
Mine is an A rated appliance but 3.7kwh/day seems quite bad !
is it a chest freezer ?
In a similar vein, I like having a fridge and freezer but dislike energy use (and their associated bills).
Has anyone tried insulating their fridge freezer to reduce energy usage ?
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:48 pm
by Big Al
gug wrote:>my fridge and freezer uses 3.7kw per day
Crumbs... clean those radiator pipes !
Mine uses 0.6kwh / day
Mine is an A rated appliance but 3.7kwh/day seems quite bad !
is it a chest freezer ?
In a similar vein, I like having a fridge and freezer but dislike energy use (and their associated bills).
Has anyone tried insulating their fridge freezer to reduce energy usage ?
Nop, not a chest freezer but a seperate fridge and freezer, both side by side under the counter jobs. One thing I have noticed is that the cupbouard next to the fridge is hot inside and it's only since being on here that i've worked out the heat is from the F/F. I'll have to get some ventilation into the area me thinks..
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Sat Sep 20, 2008 11:02 am
by Wombat
We are commissioning our 12 volt fridge. It seems to work OK. It is a generic fridge (no freezer) with a Danfoss 12 v compressor. It appears to consume 5 to 7 amps while running but of course does not run all the time. I'm not sure why the variation though....
Nev
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:01 pm
by Big Al
Big Al wrote:Ok folks, I'm thinking of getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Mainly to save electric but also we can't hide processed ready meals that taste like cardboard in there. SOOOOOO the question is how do people on here who don't have a fridge or freezer manage?
I don't want to upset people like I did when I questioned washing up in cold water... something I do all the time now and even my wife has been caught doing it... ( My wife is one of those that doesn't understand a two way switch also switches off,lol.. a 20 minute shower etc)
I was thinknig of making a pantry with paving slabs at different hieghts, buying daily or at max food for 2 days at a time, cooking fresh etc. One question though how long does milk and meat, fish etc keep if not refrigerated ??
Any imput eagerly awaited.
Big Al
OK then,..... As a follow up here goes.
I've done a load of research and made a pot in pot cooler, looked at turning the down stairs toilet into a larder ( as it was the original larder) done cooking on a daily basis with fresh ingredients bought daily and and all that but then the back has decided that it's too much hard work and i'm refining the idea to buying a new ecconomical fridge and freezer. Still don't need to hide junk food in there as I can cook meals and freeze them but this last fortnight it has been pure purgatory and hence no real cooking but ready meals and take aways..... ( my wife doesn't do cooking)
So the upshot is it was a fanciful dream but one this old decrepid sod can't fulfill...
Alan
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 2:15 pm
by ina
Big Al wrote:Still don't need to hide junk food in there as I can cook meals and freeze them but this last fortnight it has been pure purgatory and hence no real cooking but ready meals and take aways..... ( my wife doesn't do cooking)
Might be a bit extreme - but what about changing the wife to one who will cook?
Sorry.
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:15 pm
by Big Al
ina wrote:Big Al wrote:Still don't need to hide junk food in there as I can cook meals and freeze them but this last fortnight it has been pure purgatory and hence no real cooking but ready meals and take aways..... ( my wife doesn't do cooking)
Might be a bit extreme - but what about changing the wife to one who will cook?
Sorry.
Are you up for a change then ina....?
We have been married 21 years and I've managed to get her to boil some water... i haven't got her to put the egg in it yet....
Seriously she never had to cook at home as the grunt No1 was a sahm and both me and our son wanted to be chefs so she has happily let us do it all.
Also don't forget I have been the househusband for the last 20 years or so. She is talented but just not in the house although give her, her due since my back has taken a down turn these last 18 months she has taken a lot more responsabillity for cleaning the house from me which helps....
P.S.
Why is it better to own a gun than a wife??
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> You can put a silencer on a gun........
alan
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:38 am
by ina
Naaah - I wouldn't go and disturb a wonderful arrangement like that...
Great to see that not all stereotypes are true.
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:14 pm
by Greenbeast
perhaps a chest fridge might be a good compromise...
http://mtbest.net/chest_fridge.html
after a bit of research it seems a good idea in terms of energy savings but a lot of refridgeration engineers thinks its bad for the wcompressor/workings to be run in such a manner
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 9:53 pm
by Thomzo
gug wrote:Has anyone tried insulating their fridge freezer to reduce energy usage ?
Not quite but I do keep my freezer in my carport/greenhouse thingy just outside the back door. In the winter it's really cold. The idea is to bring the freezer into the laundry room in the summer as that is the the coldest room in the house when the boiler's off. Of course, this year I didn't need to bother.
Zoe
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:24 pm
by Annpan
That might prove to be a false economy - Fridges and freezers are designed to function at certain temperatures, I dare say someone knows more about it that me but it has something to do with the heating element on the back. Perhaps there is some info on the Web about it?
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:06 pm
by red
hmm yeh i heard some fridges and freezers don't work well in cold temperatures.
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:06 pm
by Annpan
My computer is running woefully slow just now, but I have just found this on the wiki 'refrigerator' page
Some refrigerators require a certain external temperature (60 °F) to run properly. This can be an issue when placing a refrigerator in an unfinished area such as a garage.
Re: getting rid of the fridge and freezer.....
Posted: Thu Nov 27, 2008 6:23 am
by ina
Friends of mine had a fridge-freezer that kept breaking down and were told that the temperature in the kitchen, where they kept it, was too low... Since they rarely had it below 20 degree or so, they didn't quite believe that excuse! Mind you, I think it was an Italian make; maybe it needed mediterranian temperatures....