Pre-1986

• When trying to determine your specific refrigerator's energy use, you will need to know its approximate age. This is because appliances made before 1986 were not built for high efficiency. According to Mr. Electricity at Saving Electricity, an older model 18 cf refrigerator can use as much as 1400 kWh in a year.
  
  

Post-1986

• After 1986, and to an even greater extent after 2001, refrigerators were constructed with a specific eye toward energy efficiency. Mr. Electricity says the same size refrigerator (18 cf) built more recently uses only 350 kWh in a given year. This represents a 75-percent reduction in energy use. This energy savings means that your refrigerator has the potential of paying you back for the expense in as little as two years.
  
  

Tips to Reduce Use

• If you don't have the funds to replace your refrigerator now, there are some steps you can take to reduce the energy it does use. Home Tips recommends setting the thermostat to 37 degrees in the cooling section and 3 degrees in the freezer, leaving two inches of space around the appliance to give it "cooling" space," positioning it as far away from heat sources as possible, turning off the ice-maker and making sure all doors seal properly.