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Switch off an unused spare fridge

An unused fridge still consumes electricity while cooling.

I commit
Miniature scene: An empty spare fridge keeps cooling.
An empty spare fridge keeps cooling
Miniature scene: Disconnect it while its storage is unneeded.
Disconnect it while its storage is unneeded
01 / Why this can help

Your scenario, drawn

An empty fridge can stop cooling

An empty fridge can stop coolingUnused fridge left running: 144 kWh; Additional energy after shutdown: 0 kWh; Annual difference: -144 kilowatt-hours of electricityIN ONE YEARUnused fridge left running144 kWhAdditional energy after shutdown0 kWh0144 kWh

Same scale, starting at zero. Change the assumptions to compare the two annual totals.

Sources and scope →
Read the values
Unused fridge left running144 kWh
Additional energy after shutdown0 kWh
Annual difference-144 kilowatt-hours of electricity
02 / One possible next step

Check that the spare fridge is truly unnecessary and empty. Switch it off, clean and dry it, then follow its safe storage instructions.

03 / Sources and scope

Documented mechanism

What the evidence supports

An unused fridge still consumes electricity while cooling. If it is empty and no replacement cooling is needed, disconnecting it avoids that electricity during the time it stays off.

Boundary of the claim

Use the appliance’s measured consumption and actual days off. Empty all compartments and follow the shutdown instructions. Any extra cooling elsewhere or restart energy reduces the net saving.

What this simulation calculates

Example assumptions: 0.80 kWh per day over 180 otherwise-running days; no extra cooling or restart. The sources do not supply that consumption. Use existing integrated meter records representative of the season; compressor watts multiplied by 24 hours is unsuitable. Count zero if it was already off.

Published coefficients and calculation references

  1. Institutional guidance · U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy · 2010

    Guide to Kitchen Appliances

    Consulted section (original language): Resource-Efficient Practices → Refrigerators and Freezers, PDF p. 2, lines 83–90

    Consultation: Webpage / full text

  2. Institutional guidance · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR

    Refrigerators

    Consulted section (original language): Buying Guidance, line 57

    Consultation: Webpage / full text

  3. Institutional guidance · BSH / Bosch Home Appliances

    Taking the appliance out of operation

    Consulted section (original language): Numbered steps 1–6

    Consultation: Webpage / full text

Avoid counting the same change twice

Sources reviewed:

Report a data issue

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universalizable.At home / 01

Switch off an unused spare fridge

Miniature scene: An empty spare fridge keeps cooling. Miniature scene: Disconnect it while its storage is unneeded.
An empty spare fridge keeps coolingDisconnect it while its storage is unneeded

Why this can help

An unused fridge still consumes electricity while cooling. If it is empty and no replacement cooling is needed, disconnecting it avoids that electricity during the time it stays off.

One possible next step

Check that the spare fridge is truly unnecessary and empty. Switch it off, clean and dry it, then follow its safe storage instructions.

What changes the outcome

Use the appliance’s measured consumption and actual days off. Empty all compartments and follow the shutdown instructions. Any extra cooling elsewhere or restart energy reduces the net saving.

universalizable.The action / 02

Your illustrative scenario

Over one year · with the assumptions below

You

144 kilowatt-hours of electricity less

You + 10 friends

1,584 kilowatt-hours of electricity less

1,000 participants

144,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity less

These are scenarios, not measured personal or collective savings. One separate household per participant. People sharing a home count it once, not once each.

Your inputs

Average electricity while otherwise running
0.8 kWh/day
Actual days disconnected this year
180
Additional cooling and restart electricity
0 kWh

Calculation of the difference: 0.8 kWh/day × 180 − 0 kWh = 144 kilowatt-hours of electricity

Calculation boundaries

Operating electricity for an empty, unneeded spare appliance, minus any additional cooling elsewhere and restart energy. Empty every compartment and follow shutdown, cleaning and ventilation instructions; keep the unused appliance inaccessible to children. This is not scheduled switching of a fridge holding food or medicine.

Example assumptions: 0.80 kWh per day over 180 otherwise-running days; no extra cooling or restart. The sources do not supply that consumption. Use existing integrated meter records representative of the season; compressor watts multiplied by 24 hours is unsuitable. Count zero if it was already off.

Sources and calculation references

  1. Guide to Kitchen AppliancesU.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy · 2010
  2. RefrigeratorsU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ENERGY STAR
  3. Taking the appliance out of operationBSH / Bosch Home Appliances

Read the method: universalizable.com/en/method/ · One sheet · print double-sided, long-edge binding

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