Refrigerators may look much alike but their performance is anything but similar. Not at least in one aspect: thermal insulation.
A refrigerator with good thermal insulation performance will save the day when electricity is temporarily suspended - that the food inside the fridge will remain properly chilled and intact for a longer period of time.
A Consumer Council test on 12 models of frost-free medium-sized refrigerators (250 to 360 litres in total storage volume) has found considerable variations in their ability in keeping the freezing food cold (time taken for temperature rise from -18 to -9 degrees Celsius) in the event of a sudden electricity outage.
The time range was measured to vary among the samples from 9 hours 30 minutes, the lowest, to 18 hours 40 minutes, the highest, indicating a vast diversity in thermal insulation performance.
As refrigerators are working non-stop, from the moment they were put into use, energy efficiency should rightly be a prime consideration in the choice of a refrigerator - think of the long-term running costs as part of the purchase price of the fridge.
In the test, the energy consumption of the refrigerator samples were measured and the results were quite startling: the estimated annual electricity cost (at $1.1 per unit) varied from $290 to more than double at $585.
As refrigerators have a long life span of more than 10 or 20 years, the difference in energy cost could amount to a very considerable sum.
Despite the variance in energy consumption, all samples were verified to be in compliance of the mandatory energy efficiency labeling scheme. The refrigerators in the sample size were all issued with the Grade 1 label.
There are, in fact, few (if any) refrigerators in the market that are not Grade 1 in energy efficiency. It is noted that since 2012, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) had awarded only Grade 1 label to refrigerators - probably because of the technology advance in energy efficiency of this type of products.
The energy efficiency grading as it now stands, however, is of limited value and help to consumers intent on finding out the better or best performers in energy efficiency. Nevertheless, consumers can refer to the annual energy consumption information shown on the energy label to make an informed choice.
EMSD is understood to be reviewing the energy efficiency grading of refrigerators in the market to better help the consumers. The Consumer Council is fully in support of such a review.
Furthermore, the freezing capacity of the refrigerators was measured and found to vary from 2.1 kg to 8 kg of food within 24 hours. Some samples took less than 14 hours to chill the food from room temperature to -18 degrees Celsius. On the basis of the data, the freezing speed and efficiency of the samples were computed for comparison.
Increasingly, eco-features are being incorporated into refrigerators. For example, compressors with inverter technology were found in newer models. Such compressors can adjust the speed to deliver a more suitable cooling effect to the compartments thereby reducing energy consumption and noise.
Some models are switched to a more environmental friendly refrigerant R600a which is harmless to human and the ozone layer (though it is inflammable). Some employ LED lighting system, which consumes less energy, generates less heat, and operates for longer time.
Consumers taking long holidays away from home are advised to turn the fridge to vacation- or eco-modes, which automatically adjusts the temperature in the fresh food compartment to higher setting and save energy when the door is not opened at all. If the model is not equipped with such a device, users can still manually adjust the temperature upwards before leaving home.
More tips in the use of refrigerators: position the fridge to avoid sunlight and moisture; leave hot food to cool down to room temperature before putting in the fridge; unplug the appliance before replacing the bulb; and keep inflammable chemicals such as insect spray or thinner away from the fridge.
A word of caution for users of fridge with R600a refrigerant: when the compressor or duct is found damaged, unplug, open the windows to facilitate air circulation and wait until the refrigerant fully evaporates.
| CHOICE magazine is now also available online (https://echoice.consumer.org.hk/ ) . Members from the media who are invited by this Council to the Press Conference may quote the content of this Press Statement. The Consumer Council reserves all its right (including copyright) in respect of CHOICE magazine and Onlin CHOICE (https://echoice.consumer.org.hk/ ). |