We loved what Rebecca posted about yesterday in her "4 Ways to Save a Few Bucks at Home". Well, we came across another money and also energy saving tip that's a little...out there. Check it out for yourself after the jump and be sure to tell us what you think!
Inspiration: DIY Energy Savings for the Fridge
Austin
Stephen and Rebekah Hren, authors of The Carbon-Free Home, suggest covering your refridgerator with carpet to help cut down on the costs of this energy-hogging appliance. Temporary and perfect for apartments, insulating your refridgerator with carpeting can be tackled in one weekend and with minimal costs. You could even extend the life of your fridge by not making the compressor work so hard. Of course, this is all at the cost of having a refridgerator covered in carpet. Though there are a number of great-looking carpet choices today, would you want to have this in your kitchen, even if it saved you money? For more information on how carpet helps insulate your fridge and how to execute it if you're brave enough, check out this website.
What do you think? Just too crazy? Or crazy enough to work? Let us know!
posted originally from: AT:LA
Comments (7)
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i can't imagine this works at all. usually when you insulate something, it's because you can feel energy escaping. think about insulated vs. non-insulated windows. non-insulated windows feel COLD. my fridge never feels cold to the touch - it's pretty thickly insulated already. where energy is lost is in the rubber door seals. if those are free of cracks and you can fit a piece of paper through, you're fine. also be sure to keep your refrigerator coils clean.
view green_gardener's profile
While we may call it "the fridge" we still spell it refrigerator. Someone's spellcheck took a day off, I think.
view Indy Jeffrey's profile
oops i mean you're fine if you "can't" fit a piece of paper through the seal.
view green_gardener's profile
The outside of my fridge normally feels hot, not cold. I would think if you insulated it, you'd be trapping the heat the fridge is trying to get rid of, and so you'd make it work harder - costing energy not saving it.
view Rebekkap's profile
this is a bad idea, for so many reasons. Cleanliness for one thing. Most of all, the parts of the fridge that are not already well insulated are the parts where the heat needs to escape, IE the coils that do the heat transfer that makes the refrigerator function. The cold in the fridge is not trying to escape through the sides, or the top.
IF you have a cooler, or an icebox, then extra insulation will help keep things cooler.
I wonder if the people that wrote the original article actually did this, it looks a lot like a: how goofy an idea can we come up with and see if the "greenies" will believe it
view fjorlief's profile
Ditto "fjorlief" above me. This is downright insulting.
Besides, since when is using chemical-laden carpet a GOOD thing? And if insulating your fridge really was important, why not use carpet and then cover it with a something good looking, like wood veneer?
view theambershow's profile
I had a really old fridge that I put left over blue insulating board around, fastened by duct tape. Wife thought it was aweful, but it wasn't so bad. Carpet (natural) would look so much better.
I've often thought of how to improve the magetic door seals. Perhaps stronger magnets.
Plus:
Those clear plastic strips over some store freezers and large cold rooms to keep the cold air in, when you're just reaching for milk.
Venting cold outside air into the fridge instead of running the compressor.
Venting hot waste air from the coils outside in teh summer.
view rapidtransitman's profile