Did you know that the refrigerator is one of the household appliances that can consume the most energy? By applying these simple tricks you can significantly reduce your consumption and, therefore, reduce your electricity bill. Take note and pay less!
How to distribute food in the fridge
After shopping, take things out of the bags, organize what goes in or out of the fridge, and then fill it in one go. We are in the habit of looking for the fish first, then the meat and so on, opening and closing the fridge all the time, which means that we lose more cold and actually end up taking longer in total. Of course, it banishes the habit of cooking with the refrigerator door open to "have everything closer to hand."
A full fridge is not advisable
A full refrigerator pushes you to consume more quantities and also does not allow you to cool well. You don't have to rush to put your eggs in the fridge, they are on shelves in the supermarket. In addition, when we throw food that has gone bad or expired in the fridge, we not only throw away the money it cost us, but what we have spent on electricity keeping it fresh.
A full refrigerator pushes you to consume more quantities and also does not allow you to cool well
Change your habits
- Get more out of the freezer. The refrigerator would preserve the products better if it were always closed. The continuous opening and closing breaks the cold chain and the oscillations are fatal for food. Therefore, put only what you are going to eat in a few days. If you don't see immediate use, they should be frozen or in the store. Nothing to use the fridge as a warehouse where everything is by itself …
- Look at the packaging. Not all foods are refrigerated at the same speed, and packaging is even more important in allowing the cold to pass.
- Remove extra packaging (for example, cartons in yogurt packs) that do not need to be refrigerated. And in order not to break the cold chain, carry thermal bags when transporting them home.
Shopping list
We waste time and cold looking for something. We notice it especially when cooking. We think we have something but we don't know where. A checklist on the door to write down what has already been completed helps to make the shopping list. Every company does it so as not to run out of raw materials, but at home we sometimes behave irrationally, when we should see ourselves as a small food company.
Make a list on the door to write down what has already been completed
Cool food before putting it in the fridge
This is almost evidence. Putting hot food in the fridge is a serious mistake. And it is not only a problem due to the higher consumption of electricity that it will entail. It is also a detriment to the rest of the food, as it breaks the internal cold structure of the refrigerator and can deteriorate what is already inside.
The refrigerator test: a curious x-ray
I have a friend, the owner of a large food company, who when he walks into someone's house, he tries to take a look at the contents of his fridge. "The refrigerator is a reflection of the family," he often tells me. The reflection of our consumption and lifestyle. Very crowded may indicate ostentation; with a lot of raw material, taste for healthy eating; with excess of precooked indicates stressed life, and so on.
Create a space for snacking
A significant energy consumption is due to the time we spend looking at the food we have in the fridge, looking for something to drink when the hunger bug bites us. We can optimize this aspect a lot if we dedicate a part of the fridge specifically to "snacks between meals". You will go direct and you will not spend time with the refrigerator open.
Organize a common area
If there are several of you at home, it is good that there is a common area and some personal areas inside the fridge. When we share a closet we have to distribute spaces. A refrigerator is also like a closet, but refrigerated and where we keep food instead of clothes. Any time savings when opening it is a final money saving.
