Q&A: Should we replace our old refrigerator?

We recently moved, and our refrigerator seems a dinosaur. Will we save money by replacing it with a comparably sized new model?

As we covered in " Cash for Clunkers Moves to Appliances. Money Back for Your Old Kelvinator?" now might be a good time to buy a new refrigerator and take advantage of the $300 million State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program. (Read our survey-based report to find the best places to buy appliances.)

With their better compressors, improved insulation, and precise controls and defrost mechanisms, today's refrigerators typically use about a quarter of the energy of similar models built in the 1970s. What's more, motor wear, dirty coils, leaky gaskets, and other issues make refrigerators less efficient over time. While proper maintenance can extend the life and efficiency of your refrigerators, if yours is more than 10 years old, chances are you'll save by upgrading to a more energy-efficient model.
Use the Energy Star program's Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator to get an estimate of how much you can save by replacing an old model with a new one. You'll need to do some legwork to get a more-detailed comparison.

To find out how much energy your current refrigerator uses, check the nameplate, usually located on an interior surface of the refrigerator, say on a door frame. The nameplate will probably list the model number and a manufacturing date. Note that for some brands the date is encoded into the serial number. (For GE appliances, for instance, if the second letter is Z, the refrigerator was made in 2000, 1988, or 1976. The GE Web site has details.)

Once you have the model number and manufacturing date, check the manufacturer's site or do a Web search. After Googling "1989 Sub-Zero 561," one Consumer Reports editor with that built-in found a site with spec sheets for his model. The 20-year-old appliances uses 795 kilowatt hours. A comparable new Sub-Zero 36-inch side-by-side uses 602 kWh.

Otherwise, use an energy monitor, or watt meter, to determine how much energy your refrigerator consumes each day. These devices cost $25 to $100, although you might be able to borrow one from a friend or even your local library.

To compare they energy use of your current model to that of new models you're considering, refer to the EnergyGuide label, which you'll seen in stores and often on manufacturer and retailer sites.

Once you've selected a new model, you can donate your old working one or properly dispose of it. Many retailers offer free haul-away of old appliances, so ask about removal at the store. To find out how to get rid of a major appliance, go to Earth911.com or contact your municipal public-works department. For more details on recycling, go to to this page at EnergyStar.gov. —Daniel DiClerico | e-mail | Twitter | Forums | Facebook

Essential information: Check out our refrigerator buyer's guide, which provide shopping tips and ratings and brand-repair history (available to subscribers) of dozens of models.