Fridge Buying Guide

Fridges are refrigerated cabinets which are an essential feature for your kitchen in order to keep your food preserved and reduce food waste costs. There are a range of different types of fridges to choose from. This guide is to help make a decision that is right for you and your home’s needs.

Types of Fridges

Freestanding

A freestanding fridge can be placed anywhere so long as there is a power socket. This versatility makes freestanding fridges ideal for households that need flexibility.

There are three different types of freestanding fridges. These include upright fridges, larder fridges and mini fridges. An upright fridge is tall and is full of many compartments. A larder fridge is similar but does not have an ice-box so will give you the maximum space. A mini fridge is exactly what it sounds like. It can fit under the counter or can sit on top of it. It is great if you don’t need a lot of fridge space and would like a little more room in your kitchen.

Integrated

An integrated fridge is hidden behind a custom door panel. Integrated fridges are great for blending in with the rest of your room and aid in interior design. These fridges can come with either a sliding door hinge or a fixed hinge. The sliding door mechanism means that the cupboard door and fridge doors are on separate hinges, while a fixed hinge uses the one hinge and your fridge door is screwed directly to the cupboard door. Integrated larder fridges are also available for extra storage space.

There are also two different types of integrated fridge. These include built-in or built-under fridges. Built-in fridges are built into existing kitchen units and are completely camouflaged by a custom panel door. These can be full-length or half-height sizes. Built-under fridges only come in half-height sizes and are placed under a kitchen counter. These are covered by a custom door and they are boxed in on the other sides and top.

Fridge Size

Fridges can vary greatly when it comes to size. They are measured by their height, width and depth. This allows for you to find one that will suit your requirements. Be sure to check the measurements you need before you purchase the appliance.

Measuring For A New Fridge

Measure the height, width and depth of the space that you plan on placing your new fridge, and make sure that the appliance you are considering will fit here. It is recommended to leave a few centimetres of space at the back of your appliance so that there is room to plug it in.

Energy Ratings

Energy ratings are a well-discussed feature and applies to any electrical appliance. Energy ratings are there to help make decisions based of the eco-friendliness and long-term running cost of the product. Appliances that are A-rated are very energy-efficient, while G-rated appliances use a lot of energy to run. These ratings are becoming increasingly important as the conversation surrounding global warming continues. The annual water and energy consumption should be taken into consideration in selecting an eco-friendly fridge is important to you.

Colour

Dark colours are easier to keep clean, while bright colours can make the environment look bigger. Stainless steel fridges also give you the best of both worlds and is easier to clean, is easy on the eye and can still give your home a spacious and modern feel to it. Stainless steel fridges tend to last longer as they are more durable.

Other Considerable Features

Open Door Warning

The open door warning does exactly what is says. If you leave the fridge door open, a warning sound will play to let you know. This means that you can save your food from being spoiled because of the door was accidentally left open. It also saves money as an open door means that your fridge has to work hard and use more electricity.

Auto-Defrost

Auto-defrost uses a fan to keep the air inside the fridge moving continuously, thus preventing the formation of frost and ice in your appliance. Sometimes certain areas of the fridge. This minimises the chances of that happening.

Lock

Some consumers or businesses may require a lock on their fridge for security and insurance purposes. This function is also convenient if you have young children who may open the door and leave it open. This would ruin your food and increase your energy bills. The lock function is a simple solution.

Adjustable Compartments

Having adjustable compartments in your fridge means that you can remove shelves and drawers to make room for larger foods, or add compartments to store more smaller foods. It gives great versatility for storing different types of foods over the course of time. Being able to remove compartments also makes the cleaning process a lot easier.

Smart Technology

Advancements in technology now mean that some fridges have smart features. This allows you to check the contents of your fridge with an app downloaded to your smart device. Some smart technology also notifies you if the door is left open or if your food is almost out of date.

Brands

With such a large range of machines to choose from, we’ve made a list of some of our most trusted brands that have been proven to provide high-quality products.

• Whirlpool
• Nordmende
• Hotpoint
• Indesit
• Powerpoint