Would it saved more energy to keep your fridge fully stocked or empty?

Question

On one hand, it takes a lot more energy to cool all the new items placed into the fridge.

On the other hand, once the items are cool, they retain that temperature for a longer period of time than the air would, so they would actually help to re-cool the fridge after it has been re-opened and closed.

What do you think? Should I keep my fridge fully stocked to save energy?

Answer 1

It is better to have a full fridge, but not stuffed. Having items in the fridge allows it to maintain the temperature, but it also needs to have enough room for the air to circulate. Don't buy so much food that it will go bad, you can put in a pitcher of water when it is getting empty.

Answer 2

i think that if you fill every space in ur fridge, then its hard for the air to move around the inside of the fridge to cool things off, so it probably waste more energy compare to a half filled fridge. You should always leave some space around each item so that air can move freely to cool off and keep the food nice and cool. If not, then it forces the fridge to use more energy to get things done. hope this helps. good luck.

Answer 3

Yes

stock it up

and fill any unused gaps with newspapers

Answer 4

I don't think it really matters that much. When you open the fridge door a certain amount of heat is going to enter and need to be removed to keep the fridge cold. The amount of heat that needs to be removed doesn't change regardless of whether it is absorbed by air or groceries.

Plus, if your fridge dies or you lose power for a couple of days, the cost of the food in that packed fridge could easily wipe out years of savings.

Gotham City, also makes a good point that if you pack the fridge too tight you may need to turn the temperature down lower and use more energy to maintain a low enough temperature throughout.

Answer 5

Thats a complicated question with many variables involved, but this might be the easiest answer...

Once all the items in your fridge reach the same cooling point it would not matter, however having more items in your fridge means the tendency to use the fridge just increased and so did the amount of coldness, meaning money.

So its more of a dynamic question in that all it depends on is the amount of openings your fridge door will take.

It also depends on the sealing of the fridge, the better the seal the more energy you will conserve...