Choosing The Right Fridge

When choosing a fridge for your home, you need to consider many factors, including its size to its features. Other personal considerations should be your taste and lifestyle. Hence, to navigate the sea of options available and to find your perfect fridge, we’ve put together four questions to ask yourself before purchasing.

1. What size do you need?
   
   The foremost factor to consider is the size of the fridge you want to buy. For that, you need to check the quantity of food you aim to store in it. Otherwise, you may end up with a fridge that’s too small or you could have one that is too big and will cost you more in the long run in power bills.
   
   Also, consider how much refrigerator space you need versus freezer space. If you purchase fresh food regularly, then you’ll need a spacious fridge. But if you buy or cook in bulk, then you may want to have more freezer space.
   
   You also need to measure where you plan to place the refrigerator before you start looking at options. There should be a few centimeters leeway around the fridge for it to work most efficiently.
   
   
2. What style do you want?
   
   There are different styles of fridges available. We’ve listed the three most common styles, along with their pros and cons below.
   
   #1. Top mount: These are the most common fridges, where the freezer sits on top of the refrigerator compartment.
   
   
Pros:

• Often the cheapest and most efficient to run
• Comes in different sizes and styles
  
  
 Cons:


• You need to bend down to access the refrigerator
        
#2. Bottom mount: These fridges have the freezer on the bottom and fridge compartment on top. 


  Pros:


• You don’t have to bend to access the fridge
• Many styles have handy slide-out baskets for the freezer 
• Comes in different sizes and styles 
  
  
   Cons:


• Freezer can take more time to reach desired temperature
• More expensive than top-mounted fridges


      
#3. Side-by-side: These double door refrigerators have the freezer on one side and the refrigerator on the other. 


   Pros:


• Often have additional features like ice and water dispensers
• Easy to access, particularly for people in wheelchairs
• Lots of storage
  
  
    Cons:


• Temperature can be inconsistent between top and bottom of compartments
• Features can take up storage space
• Storage space can be narrow
• Can be large and may not fit in all kitchens
  
  
3. What are its running costs?
   
   Generally, your refrigerator makes up 8% of your electricity bills, so choosing an efficient one will save you money. It’s no secret that larger fridges use more energy as compared to smaller ones. But energy ratings will help you to compare the relative energy efficiency of all models.
   
   The star rating gives you approximate figures, so you can use it to calculate the running cost of the fridge. The math is simple – multiply the star rating with your current energy cost per kilowatt-hour.
   
   
4. What features do you want?
   
   As technology improves, there’s a lot of new features to be found in fridges. However, not all will be necessary for your home. These are just a few that are on offer.

• Water and ice dispenser: This can be an alternative to keeping cold water in the fridge. However, if you use it frequently, you’ll want both dispensers on the outside to minimise the doors being opened and the fridge needing to rechill. You may also need to have plumbing fitted to your fridge. 

• Crisper: A good crisper means you won’t have to keep fruits and vegetables in plastic bags. It should be easy to remove in order to clean. Usually, bigger is better if you tend to buy lots of fresh items. 
  
  
• Temperature control: You can save energy by setting your fridge and freezer to appropriate temperatures. Depending on the climate, they may not need to work as hard to achieve certain temperatures. Some temperature controls can also be set to timers with automatic defrosting options. 
  
  
• Adjustable shelving: Adjustable shelving allows for flexibility in storage. They should be easy to move. 
  
  
• Dairy compartment: Having a compartment for storing butter and hard cheeses at a warmer temperature can be handy to extend the life of such items.
  
  
• Chiller: This compartment is storage for meats, fish, and poultry and allows them to stay fresh for a longer time. Search for a fridge that has separate temperature control for this compartment as its chiller temperature should be close to zero.

Try before you buy

Just as you try on clothes before buying them, you can try out fridges. Fridge rentals are becoming common. With a variety of lease options, you can try out different styles and get a better idea of what suits you the best. You can then buy the model you like or continue to rent it – the decision is yours.