August is here. It is the last month of summer, which encourages one to prepare more actively for the cold season, and it is not for nothing that there is a saying: ‘Prepare a sleigh in summer and a cart in winter’. If your to-do list includes going to the forest to pick mushrooms, getting vitamins in the form of various berries, or simply stocking up on products (meat, fish, fruit) for a longer period, you need to use resources efficiently. You may have already considered the purchase of a separate freezer, which stores all these goodies. Despite canning enthusiasts, frozen berries, fruits, and vegetables retain more vitamins and valuable properties than if they are preserved.

To choose a suitable freezer not only by colour, size, and capacity, the Elektrum Energy Efficiency Centre specialists have prepared recommendations that should be considered when choosing a freezer and how to use it effectively daily so that it does not waste electricity.

To be or not to be

Although building food stocks is a way to save money from an economic point of view, we recommend that you first carefully evaluate how useful it would be in your case to buy an additional freezer. It is important to assess the number of people in the family, the number of products required and the frequency of cooking. You should think about what exactly the freezer will be used for as well, i.e., what products will you store. Also consider that this will be an additional electrical device that will cost electricity in the future as well. Therefore, we initially recommend reviewing the freezer contents of the existing refrigerator, understanding what you usually store in it, and maybe you will conclude that such a purchase is not necessary after all.

"Yes" to the freezer

If you decide that a separate freezer is necessary, we recommend you first pay attention to the energy label when faced with the choice of a new electrical appliance.

When purchasing any electrical appliance, it is important to read its energy label – it provides important information about the appliance's power, size, volume, and other characteristics. The energy label contains information about the energy efficiency class of the appliance or how efficiently the appliance consumes power. The higher the energy efficiency class, the more efficient and high-quality the operation of the appliance is.

1. Manufacturer and model of the electrical appliance
2. Energy efficiency class
3. Estimated power consumption, kWh per year
4. Capacity, in litres
5. The capacity of the refrigerated product container, in litres
6. Noise level, in decibels, and noise level class

 

Types of freezers, their pros, and cons

Size and space matter

Before buying a freezer, you need to evaluate where you want to place it and how much space there is in the room. Looking at the capacity of the freezer, the more people in the family and the larger the number of products you will freeze, the larger the freezer will be – even up to 400 l. When planning to freeze only a few berries or mushrooms, it is recommended to choose a smaller freezer with a volume of 80–100 l.

Regarding the location, the freezer can be placed in the kitchen, pantry, living room, hallway, under the stairs, shed or garage. The most important thing is that it is easily accessible.

Like the refrigerator, the freezer must be placed away from the heat sources such as a radiator, stove, etc., i.e., devices that emit heat during operation, and also out of direct sunlight. It is not recommended to place the freezer too close to the wall, in the corner of the room or a niche, as air circulation will not be ensured and, therefore, electricity consumption will increase. There must be 5–10 cm free space around the freezer for air circulation.

Room temperature is also important, as each freezer has a specific climate class that indicates at what room temperature it will work efficiently. We recommend you follow the manufacturer's instructions and instructions for use.

If the freezer is placed in inappropriate conditions, it may malfunction. It should also be ensured that there is no increased amount of humidity or drastic temperature changes in the room. If you want to place the freezer in the living room or the kitchen, we recommend that you carefully look at the noise level indicated on the energy label for the particular device. It is marked with the letters dB (decibels) – the smaller the number, the quieter the freezer will work. The number is usually between 35 and 45 dB.

How powerful is the desired freezer?

When choosing a freezer, pay attention to the following aspects: capacity (how many kg of fresh food it can freeze in 24 hours) and freezing class (indicated in the energy label, and technical specification).

The more products that are planned to be frozen, the more capacious a freezer is needed. Thus, the freezing capacity must be greater. For example, a freezer with a capacity of 5–8 kg/24h will be enough for a family of four.

How much does the freezer consume?

Here, too, you should pay attention to the energy label – the higher the energy efficiency class, the less electricity the device will consume. Important – a freezer is an electrical appliance that, unlike a stove or a washing machine, operates continuously, so it is especially important to pay attention to how much electricity the chosen freezer will consume, or the predicted electricity consumption (kWh/year) indicated on the energy label.

It should be noted that the usage habits of the freezer and the ambient temperature can significantly affect electricity consumption. As with a refrigerator, if the door is opened frequently, air will enter the compartment and the appliance will use additional electricity for cooling. Therefore, we invite you to carefully evaluate the type of freezer by predicting its use.

Like a cherry on the cake. Additional features

Although the freezer is an electrical appliance with a clear purpose, its offer is broad and, like other electrical appliances, various add-ons are available that make its use more convenient and useful, of course also increasing the costs.

• Lighting

Pay attention – not all models of freezers are equipped with lighting, some models have a place where lighting can be installed.

• Low frost/no frost

In order not to have to perform frequent manual defrosting, the recommended choice is a freezer with ‘Low frost’ technology, i.e., the ice layer forms less, and you will have to defrost much less often than a normal freezer. It is best to choose a freezer with the ‘No frost’ function, which means that optimal ventilation is ensured in the freezer, the amount of moisture is reduced, and the formation of ice is completely prevented, therefore, defrosting is not necessary at all.

Remember! If the freezer does not have an automatic defrost function, defrost it regularly, because every centimetre of ice in the freezer increases electricity consumption by about 10%. And clean the freezer with the automatic defrost function once a year.

• Fast-freeze

With the help of this function, the products that have just been placed in the freezer will be frozen quickly, without interfering with the operation of the freezer with its heat. The fast-freeze function should be set for about 4–5 h before placing the new products in the freezer. Such freezing guarantees the high quality of the products, preserving nutrients and vitamins and not changing the appearance, taste or smell of the products, moreover, storing them for a longer period.

• Display and control

Three types of controls are available for freezers: electronic, mechanical, and sensor. The electronic type allows you to set the modes with the help of buttons, the sensor – with touch, and the mechanical – with knobs.

The display, on the other hand, shows information about the settings and temperature of the device, and it can be placed both inside the freezer and on the door. When the display is combined with the electronic control panel, it is particularly convenient to manage the freezer settings by monitoring the temperature.

Freeze efficiently! Tips for using the freezer

• Remember that a newly purchased freezer should not be turned on immediately after placing it in the intended location. You have to wait at least four hours, and after turning on the freezer, you have to wait a few more hours for the required temperature to be reached, and only then you can put the products to be frozen at small time intervals. For additional information on the use of a particular freezer, see its instruction manual.
• Set the optimum temperature in the freezer to -18 °C. Electricity consumption increases by 5% with every degree that is excessively lowered.
• It is not recommended to fill the freezer compartment but leave free space for air to circulate.
• Wrapping food carefully helps reduce moisture loss and prevent freezer burn.
• Open the freezer door/lid as rarely as possible and do not leave it open for long periods. Otherwise, warm air will enter the freezer, making it necessary to lower the temperature again, which will increase electricity consumption.
• It is recommended to turn off the freezer in advance before a storm or expected power outages, especially if it is equipped with an electronic display and buttons as the electronics are most sensitive to power outages. The products in the freezer will keep cold for a while even if it is turned off. Manufacturers state that after turning off the freezers, products will remain frozen for about 24 hours, however, various tests show that this should not be completely relied on, especially in the case of vertical freezers.

To find out useful recommendations for the selection and use of other electrical appliances, please see here.