TIL that old fridges are total energy hogs compared to new ones

I was cleaning out my grandma's basement in Phoenix and found her ancient fridge from the 80s still plugged in. Out of curiosity, I looked up the energy use online. That thing used over 1,400 kWh a year! My new Energy Star fridge uses under 400. It was running for decades, probably costing a fortune and pumping out so much extra carbon. I unplugged it right then and there. Has anyone else found an old appliance that was secretly a climate villain?

3 comments

3 Comments

bell.jessica24d ago

That's a crazy difference in power use. My parents had an old chest freezer in their garage for years, same kind of thing. It felt like a relic just humming away. You don't even think about it until you see the numbers. Good call on pulling the plug, that thing was basically burning money. Makes you wonder what else is hiding in basements.

blair_torres7024d agoMost Upvoted

Wonder if old water heaters are the next big energy vampires in our homes.

nancyramirez24d ago

Burning money" feels a bit strong. Old stuff uses more power, sure. But you gotta weigh that against buying a whole new unit. The cost to make and ship a new heater is huge. Sometimes running the old one a bit longer is the greener choice.