With rising electricity costs, even minor savings have become important for household consumers. In such a situation, proper maintenance of electrical appliances used at home can help reduce electricity consumption. A refrigerator is also among these appliances, as it runs continuously day and night, and its performance can have a direct impact on electricity usage.
Although refrigerators with inverter technology are available in the market and claim to use less electricity, electricity consumption can increase if the freezer is not cleaned properly. In particular, a thick layer of ice that builds up inside the freezer can become an important issue in this regard.
Usually, the layer of ice in the freezer is ignored. Some households also believe that during load-shedding, the ice accumulated in the freezer helps maintain the internal temperature. Although ice may help retain the cold for some time, after electricity is restored, it may negatively affect the freezer’s performance.
A zero-waste expert claimed in a TikTok video that even a layer of ice just two millimeters thick in the freezer can increase electricity consumption by up to 20 percent. According to the expert, keeping the freezer free of ice is better not only for reducing electricity consumption but also for the refrigerator’s performance and durability.
The expert also shared an easy method for removing ice from the freezer in the video. They heated water in a container and placed it inside the freezer for about 10 minutes, after which the frozen ice was relatively easy to scrape off and remove.
According to the expert, regularly cleaning the freezer and removing accumulated ice in a timely manner can help keep the refrigerator in better condition. In this way, a simple household maintenance practice can not only help maintain the appliance’s performance but also prevent unnecessary electricity consumption.
However, the claim that two millimeters of ice can increase electricity consumption by 20 percent was made by the aforementioned zero-waste expert and should not be considered a definitive scientific principle applicable to every refrigerator model. Actual electricity consumption also depends on the type, model, age, temperature, seals and other factors of the refrigerator.
