DOE Approves New Efficiency Standards for Refrigerators

EBN Nov. 2010).

While refrigerators have seen significant gains in efficiency—today’s models use about 75% less energy than those produced in 1975—they still account for 10% of in-home energy use. According to DOE, the new standard will save 4.5 quadrillion Btus of energy and the corresponding release of 305 million metric tons of CO₂ while saving consumers $18.5 billion over a 30-year period.

A key element of the new rule is the inclusion of built-in icemaker energy use in the calculation of total energy use for a refrigerator, giving consumers a more accurate representation of how much energy it will use.