Quantifying energy savings from replacement of old refrigerators

This paper analyses the results of 21 refrigerator replacements that have occurred in Melbourne, Gippsland (Victoria) and Sydney over the past four years. Seven of the replacements were part of a Victorian State Government retrofit program that targeted the removal and replacement of older refrigerators with the best on the market. The remaining 14 appliances were replaced during routine monitoring by the author as part of his PhD field work at The University of Melbourne. The study is unique as high quality refrigerator energy and temperature data was broken down into 4 key components: temperature driven energy consumption, energy consumption from user interactions, base defrosting requirements and user driven defrosting requirements. This approach allows the old and new appliances to be directly compared when modelled under identical operating conditions giving a fair and robust comparison. The results are impressive, with average energy reductions of 60%, ranging from 30% to more than 80%, depending on the household circumstances and the old and new appliances.