When choosing the household appliance needed in every home - a refrigerator - many factors must be taken into account: the manufacturer, the dimensions, the volumes of the freezing and refrigerating chambers, their location, the type of frost (drip and no frost ), the number of doors, color and exterior design, etc. an important parameter is the energy consumption class of the refrigerator. This is what we will talk about in this article: we will tell you what it is and what class of energy consumption is better.
Energy class: what does it mean?
Increased attention to the energy consumption of appliances in the house, we began to pay very recently. But every kilowatt of energy is the use of the non-limiting natural resources of our planet: be it gas, oil, coal. Agree, in homes there are many devices connected to the electrical network. And the refrigerator is just one of those devices that work round the clock, months, years, "winding" kilowatts on the meter like no other device. And after all, the payment for electricity every year is increasing, which is reflected in the monthly receipts. Therefore, manufacturers of household appliances have taken up the task of improving refrigerators and their energy consumption. The European classification of energy consumption of refrigerators was adopted, according to which the power consumption of the devices is denoted by Latin letters from A to G. The energy consumption class itself is measured by the energy efficiency index, calculated experimentally and by a rather complex formula based on various parameters - the actual annual energy consumption of the refrigerator in kW, temperature of the device itself, the number of cameras, their volume, type of freezing and standard energy consumption.
Classes of energy consumption of refrigerators
Based on all indicators, seven classes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) were first identified based on their energy efficiency index. Regarding what the energy consumption class A means, it should be noted that a refrigerator with such a standard should have an energy efficiency index of not more than 55%. It was the refrigerator with this marking that until recently was considered the most economical. However, progress does not stand still, and thanks to the use of new technologies, more sophisticated instruments were created. Therefore, since 2003, a new Directive has entered into force, according to which the highly effective classes A + and A ++ are added. Moreover, the A + refrigerator should not expend electricity more than 42%, and the device with A ++ energy consumption class should not exceed 30% of the normative values. By the way, the share of the total production of refrigerators is about 70% and is constantly increasing.
If we talk about the energy consumption class B of the refrigerator, then the devices for storing products with such a labeling are also considered quite economical, although, to a lesser extent, than class A. The index of its energy efficiency totals from 55 to 75%. A refrigerator with a power consumption class C also refers to an economical level of electricity consumption, but with a higher index (75 to 95%).
If on the refrigerator you find a label with a label for the energy consumption class D, keep in mind that such a device with an intermediate value of economy (from 95% to 110%).
But refrigerators labeled E, F, G belong to the class with a high and very high power consumption (from 110% to 150%).
By the way, due to their energy inefficiency, refrigerators with the energy consumption class D, E, F and G have not been produced in the last few decades.
As you can see, when buying a refrigerator, you should pay attention to its energy consumption class. Its marking can be seen on the body of the device in the form of a sticker.