Every summer, my to-do list contains some nasty chores, but I know doing them will save me money. There’s a reason I do this chores now, just days before I go on vacation. Most people who read this know I live together with two students in a condo. During the summer, my roommates are away for weeks. They are on vacation themselves or stay at their parents’ place for a couple of weeks. Before they leave, they empty out their shelves so their groceries won’t walk away all by themselves.

For me this is the perfect time to unplug the freezer and clean it out. During the year layers of ice typically pile up, not making opening the drawers harder, but also causing the freezer use up extra energy. So cleaning it out saves energy, lowers our energy bill and is better for the environment. I don’t really have to bother about the latter since our household runs on 100% renewable ‘green’ energy, but savings on the bill are nice anyway. The downside is the gigantic mess the dripping water creates. So usually I have to clean the whole kitchen too. Well, I do that next week, knowing I’m relieved from that duty for a long, long time. 
After cleaning out the freezer cabinet, I also clean the fridge since it’s almost empty too.  Both jobs are nasty ones, but they need to be done, and I will be grateful to myself I did it when we discover our energy bill isn’t as high as we anticipated. Did you know your freezer uses up to 20% extra energy when thick layers of ice are present? That’s quite a lot of money going down the drain, considering the current soaring oil price!

References:

• Tips for an energy efficient refrigerator
• Greenpeace energy saving tips
• European site with tips on energy savings for different appliances

Posted under Tips & Tricks