Many people are installing a second fridge in their home now to keep extra groceries or just some needed food items nearby. Most of the time, this fridge is placed either in the garage or the basement of your home. And in this case, you’ll need a garage ready refrigerator. You can also view some options for yourself.
Although many people are interested in garage ready fridges because of their convenience, they also wonder if it is cost-convenient too or not? So that is what we’ll be answering today. We’ll discuss how a second fridge might affect your electricity bill and what you can do to keep it low.
Does it Cost More to Run a Refrigerator in the Garage?
Generally speaking, if you use a basic fridge in your garage, then yes, it might cost you more than it did while you used it within your house. This is because the temperature levels in your garage can get out of the operable range of your appliance. Due to this, your device works too hard and consumes more electricity to give results. Hence, your bill might increase.
However, you can follow some safety tips to use your basic fridge in the garage. Although it might help you keep the refrigerator running, it won’t be too helpful for a long while. This is because you’ll need to do a lot of maintenance if you use your basic fridge in the garage.
A study found that a basic fridge costs $84 a year when used in the kitchen. Whereas the cost will go up to $95 a year if you place it in your garage.
On the contrary, garage ready models won’t cost as much as these basic ones. Since these fridges are newer models, they are also designed to save energy and operate at lower costs.
How Can you Calculate the Cost of Your Appliance Yourself?
You might want to calculate the running cost of your basic fridge to get an idea of how much it might cost when you install it in the garage. To do so, you might need to get some basic details about the appliance and your electricity charges first. For that, simply follow the steps mentioned below:
- Estimate the daily runtime of your device.
- Check the wattage of your appliance. You can see it on the sticker pasted on the appliance. Else you can search it online for your respective model.
- Lastly, you need to know about your energy charges. How much do you pay for 1 kW? You can find it on your electricity bill.
Once you find these details, calculate the running cost using these steps:
- Daily energy consumption = (wattage * hours of use per day)/1000
- Annual use = daily energy consumption * number of days the appliance is used every year
- Final cost = Annual use * energy charges
This calculation can come in handy when you buy a new device or even want to sell an old one. You can get an idea of how much you can save by potentially upgrading an appliance or reducing its usage.
What Affects Your Electricity Charges?
As mentioned above, older fridge models are more likely to consume more energy and cost you more in the electricity bill. But what about the newer models – the ones with better energy consumption? Would they also cost you more if you keep them in the garage?
Well, the short answer is, yes. Because after all, these fridges are not really suitable for such an environment. They might work well for some time. But after a while, you will start experiencing issues and also see an increase in your bill.
Here are some factors that contribute to the electricity charges of your basic fridge in the garage:
-
Temperature
According to professionals, a basic fridge in a hot garage of around 90 degrees will use 45-50% more energy than the one in a 70-degree environment. Furthermore, the humidity and extreme temperatures can cause problems with your basic fridge when kept in the garage.
Since the garage is typically warmer than the kitchen, your fridge will have to run longer to keep the items cold. This will lead to more energy consumption, hence a higher bill.
-
Using old refrigerators
As discussed already, older refrigerator models are not as energy-efficient as newer models. Many people move their old fridge to the garage and buy a new one for the kitchen. It might sound smart; however., your electricity bill would say otherwise.
For instance, if you run a fridge model from the late 1980s, it would cost $117 a year. However, the latest model would cost you around $40 a year. See the difference?
-
Not using a garage ready refrigerator
Garage ready fridges are made especially for use in the garage or basements. These refrigerators can operate in extreme temperature ranges no matter how cold or hot it is. Moreover, they are designed to use less energy while giving the best performance.
You can save up to 40% of your electricity consumption by buying one of these energy-efficient fridges.
Conclusion: Switch to a Garage Ready Refrigerator
Adding a second fridge to your garage can be convenient. But if you install a basic one there, it might cause more trouble than convenience. The repairs and maintenance of using an old fridge might even cost you more than the price of a brand new garage ready refrigerator.
And if you’re willing to spend some money on a new fridge anyways, then why not invest in a smarter and cheaper option for the long run? You can see for yourself how beneficial a garage ready refrigerator is as compared to a basic one.
So what are you waiting for? If you’re planning to get a second fridge for your home, get a garage ready one and take full advantage of the convenience. Make sure you do your research beforehand and find the model that best suits your needs.