Are energy-saving refrigerators worth the money? Maybe not

Most shops selling new fridges only stock energy-saving refrigerators, most of them with EU energy efficiency classes beween A and A. — dpa

Refrigerators with high energy efficiency use less electricity, but maybe not enough to make them worth buying just to save money.

That's because energy-saving fridges cost more than other models, explains TueV Sued, the German technical testing authority. That additional acquisition cost is often not offset by the electricity costs saved, even over a long period of time.

For that reason, it makes sense to do your own cost calculations before buying a fridge. If you're buying from the European Union, the EU energy label will help. The labels show the energy efficiency of a range of electrical devices, including fridges.

On the labels, manufacturers specify how many kilowatt hours an appliance consumes on average per year. The resulting electricity costs can be compared to the purchase price.

For refrigerators, the scale ranges from the best value of A+++ for very low power consumption to D for the least energy-efficient models.

According to TueV Sued, a refrigerator rated A+++ uses 50% less electricity than one rated A+. Refrigerators rated below class A+ are scarcely to be found in stores in the EU today. – dpa