Fridge-freezers: FAQs
What do American-style fridge-freezers offer?
Wine racks in action
If you have more room or a large family you might fancy an American-style model. These have the fridge and freezer next to each other rather than one on top of the other. They offer twice the storage space of conventional fridge-freezers and extra features, including ice-making machines.
Can I keep a fridge-freezer in a garage?
Every fridge-freezer has a 'climate class'. This tells you the range of room temperatures in which the model is designed to work. Fridge-freezers used in temperatures above or below these limits might not work properly. For example, the freezer compartment might defrost if the room temperature becomes too low.
So, in theory, fridge-freezers shouldn't be kept in unheated garages and sheds. In practice, though, plenty of people get away with it quite happily. For more detail about the individual climate classes, see 'Features explained'.
At what temperature should I keep the fridge compartment?
Between 0°C and 5°C. Any warmer, and the food will go off. Any colder, and fresh food can be ruined and nutrients lost.
Is it worth going for an energy-efficient fridge-freezer?
Cooling appliances notch up a staggering £1.2 billion in electricity bills each year. After central heating, refrigeration appliances are the biggest domestic users of energy, because they're on all the time. So when you're ready to replace a fridge-freezer, it's worth looking for those rated A+ or A++, as they're the most energy-efficient and cheapest to run.
In the past, we've found energy labels aren't always accurate, so we calculate our own running costs for each fridge-freezer we test. You can find the running costs for all the models we've tested on our results page.
Fridge-freezers rated A+ or A++ are the most energy-efficient and cheapest to run
Does an antimicrobial coating mean I don't have to clean my fridge-freezer?
Many manufacturers are adding anti-microbial coatings to the inside of the fridge compartment. They claim the coatings kill nasty bacteria growing inside.
But our hygiene expert says the coating isn't applied to the shelves where you put the food. And it's rare to find unwrapped food placed directly on a shelf, so the coating is unlikely to do much good. If you want to keep a fridge-freezer spick and span, there's no substitute for traditional cleaning.
Will my fridge-freezer damage the ozone layer?
Many fridge-freezers use a cooling agent (or refrigerant) called R600a, which neither affects ozone nor is a significant greenhouse gas. So far, so good.
However, others use a refrigerant called R134a. This is better for the ozone layer than CFCs (which are now banned), but it's also a greenhouse gas. Sometimes refrigerant can leak, so it still contributes significantly to global warming.
How do I dispose of my old fridge-freezer?
You can get rid of an unwanted fridge-freezer through the retailer supplying your new model or through your local council.
Under regulations stemming from the European WEEE Directive, product makers– including Comet, John Lewis, Bosch, AEG-Electrolux etc – have to pay for the recycling of fridges and the upgrade of local civic amenity sites to handle unwanted electrical appliances.
Many large chains run schemes which will pick up an old appliance free of charge when a new model is delivered. Smaller retailers will probably ask you to drop the unwanted fridge off at a nearby civic amenity site.
Your local authority has a responsibility to take your old fridge-freezer away, but it's a bit of a postcode lottery. Some councils offer free collection, others charge up to £30. If you can take the fridge to your local tip yourself, though, there should be no charge.
For more information on WEEE and how you can ensure unwanted electrical products are disposed of in an environmentally responsible manner, download the Environment Agency's householder factsheet.