In this article I run through the results of our freezer running costs tests on our 3 freezers and fridge-freezer. Annual running costs extrapolated and comparison of running costs with and without a Savaplug fitted.
Tall Old Upright Freezer Running Cost
First up was our old tall upright. It’s seen better days but it still holds temperature down and it’s convenient. I’d estimate its capacity around 240 litres.
Without the Savaplug it would cost us about £111 pounds a year to run, consuming 950 KWh of electricity. Not unexpected, it’s before the days of efficiency ratings.
With the Savaplug running the figures dropped dramatically. It was just using 556 KWh a year, costing us £65 pounds. So we are saving £46.00 a year using a gadget that only costs around £25.00. Now that is a good return on our investment.
A similar new A+ rated freezer would cost around £320 but would only cost around £40.00 pa to run, saving an additional £25.00 pa – payback in 13 years so we’ll carry on until it dies.
Electrolux Premier Eco Freezer Running Costs
The next freezer we checked the running costs on was a fairly new, about 14 months old, Electrolux Premier Eco freezer. I think the capacity is about 110 litres
This is an A+ rated appliance so we expected it to be very economical to run. It is, however, a ‘frost free’ freezer and I’ve heard these can be expensive to run. It’s an upright freezer again and has drawers with solid fronts, which should help to keep in the cold when the door is opened.
We discovered the normal running costs are approximately £34 a year, using some 290 KWh of electricity each year. Adding the Savaplug to the equation, the running costs fell to £24 a year using 207 KWh of electricity. A slower return for our cash investment in energy use reduction but still 40% That’s far higher than any inflation proofed savings account.
Chest Freezer Running Costs
Next to the small upright freezer, we have a Whirlpool chest freezer. It takes up the same room as the Electrolux and is nominally around the same 110 litres capacity, but we find you can get a lot more into it due to less air gaps than with drawers. I think this is actually ‘C’ rated although chest freezers seem cheap to run anyway and are certainly cheap to buy, even new.
The running costs are just £33 a year using 283 KWh each year. Because we only have 3 Savaplugs this was not tested with a Savaplug but I would bet it would reduce the freezer’s running costs.
Frost Free Fridge Freezer Running Costs
One problem we do have with this appliance that we didn’t realise until we’d had it for a while is that there is only one temperature control. We need the freezer to run at between minus 18 degrees and minus 20 degrees. To achieve this the fridge section has to run at around 2 to 3 degrees when 4 to 5 degrees would be ideal. So we pay extra to run the freezer in over-cooling the fridge.
Once again we compared costs with the Savaplug, some £60.00 each year and without it costs rise to £114.00 each year. That’s a huge difference.
This is part 2 of a 3 part article on Freezer Running Costs. See also :
More Information on Freezing Produce
- Freezers and Freezing Food
- Freezers – Chest or Upright Freezer?
- How to Freeze Food – General Information, Blanching etc.
- Freezing Vegetables – Preparation & Blanching Times Part 1
- Freezing Vegetables – Preparation & Blanching Times Part 2
- Freezing Herbs – How to Freeze Herbs
- Freezing Fruit – How to Freeze Fruits
- Freezer Running Costs – How Much do Freezers Cost to Run
- Freezer Running Costs – Test Results How Much our Freezers Cost
- Running Costs for Freezers Conclusions
