One of the problems with modern society going “green” is that many of our appliances are inherently inefficient. Take for example the refrigerators and freezers that many of us use. A vertical fridge/freezer combination just isn’t that energy efficient, even if it is “energy star” rated. Most fridges waste upwards of 365 kWh a year. So what can be done?
So what’s a more effective alternative to your current fridge? Look no further then the basic chest freezer. Since cold air sinks, chest freezers have long been known to be a more efficient freezing solution, but what about refrigeration? Heaven knows you don’t want to freeze your tofu. One clever solution is to replace the thermostat with one designed to shut off the motor on the freezer, allowing you to better control the cooling without freezing your food unintentionally. Properly set up, you can less energy to cool your food for a day than a 100-watt incandescent bulb does in an hour. So no only will you help the environment, but you’ll save money too.
[via Build It Solar]