A refrigerator is considered as an integral part of the kitchen. It will keep all the food items fresh. It is necessary to do a lot of research while choosing a refrigerator. Since it is monsoon season, all the e-commerce companies are offering huge discounts on refrigerators.
If you are looking to buy a refrigerator, then this is the right time. Buying a fridge is a one-time investment with an average lifespan of 12 years. So, you need to do a lot of homework before choosing a refrigerator. Here is a detailed explanation of the aspects to be considered before choosing a refrigerator.
Since there are hundreds of products available in the market, you will have confusion about what exactly to buy. We have created this refrigerator buying guide for you, which will give you a complete picture of the product and its features for you to make your decisions easier.
What To Consider While Choosing a Refrigerator?
Space For Refrigerator
The first thing you need to consider before choosing a refrigerator is the amount of space available in your house for it. Depending on the space you allot for your fridge, you need to choose a refrigerator. While allocating space for your fridge do not forget to consider the space even for the doors since they also need some space to open. Even sometimes, getting a fridge into the house is a consideration as it should fit in the staircase or the elevator.
Types & Capacity Of Refrigerators:
The type and capacity of the fridge you will need to purchase depends on the size of the family. So, before choosing a refrigerator, make sure what type of fridge, you are looking for?
Mini Refrigerators
The mini-refrigerators are the best fit for bachelors. Their capacity would be between 40 to 100 liters. The features of these fridges include:
- They are economical
- They have either small or no freezer
- The mini fridges are compact
- They use direct cool technology.
Single Door Refrigerators
The single door refrigerators are good for a small family. The capacity of a single door fridge starts from 150 liters and will go up to 250 liters. The features of it include:
- They are economical
- They have a bigger freezer compared to mini-refrigerators
- Some of the single door fridges come with a digital auto defrost
- They use direct cool technology
Double Door Refrigerators
The double door refrigerators are good for a joint family of four to five members. The capacity of a double door fridge starts from 240 liters and will go up to 500 liters. The features of it include:
- They are energy efficient
- They have a bigger freezer space
- Most of the double door fridges come with toughened glass shelves
- They use frost-free technology
Triple Door Refrigerators
The triple door refrigerators are again good for a small family of a couple and two kids. The capacity of a triple door fridge starts from 240 liters and will go up to 350 liters. The features of it include:
- They are energy efficient
- They have a bigger freezer space
- The triple door fridges come with toughened glass shelves
- They use frost-free technology
- These fridges are useful for those who are looking for a separate large drawer for fruits and vegetables.
French or Side By Side Door Refrigerators
The side by side refrigerators are again good for bigger families. A side-by-side door fridge’s capacity starts from 550 liters and will go up to 850 liters. The features of it include:
- They are energy efficient
- They have ample sections
- The side by side fridges come with toughened glass shelves
- They use frost-free technology
- These fridges are useful for those who are looking for a separate large space for fruits and vegetables.
- Some of these fridges come with water or ice dispenser.
Energy Rating
The energy efficiency rating (EER) or the star rating is given to the refrigerators to show how efficient they are in saving the energy. Energy efficiency means the total number of units you save per year on using that particular refrigerator. The more the energy efficiency, the lesser the consumption of power.
Here are the ratings and their savings per year:
- A 1-star rating refrigerator would offer you a saving of about Rs.300 per year, consuming about 977 units per year.
- A 2-star rating refrigerator would allow you to save about Rs.800 per year, consuming about 782 units per year.
- A 3-star rating refrigerator would offer you a saving of about Rs.1200 per year, consuming about 626 units per year.
- A 4-star rating refrigerator would offer you a saving of about Rs.1500 per year, consuming about 501 units per year.
- A 5-star rating refrigerator is the best would offer you a saving of about Rs.1800 per year, consuming about 400 units per year.
Hence choosing a refrigerator with a 5-star rating would help you in saving a lot of energy.
Compressor
A compressor maintains the temperature of the refrigerator. There are two types of compressors available for refrigerators, including general compressor and inverter compressor.
General Compressor
The general compressors start at a very high speed, and they continue to run at a constant speed until it reaches the optimum cooling point. Even if there is no loss in cooling, they maintain the same speed. For these compressors, you will be able to hear a ticking sound for every now and then.
Inverter Compressor
The inverter compressors run at varying speeds. The speed of the compressor will depend on the amount of cooling required for the fridge. The inverter compressor starts at a low speed, and it will speed up only when there is a loss in cooling. These compressors are energy efficient.
Defrosting Technology
Based on the type of defrosting, refrigerators are divided into two types. They are frost-free refrigerators and direct cool refrigerators.
Frost Free Refrigerators
The frost-free fridges use electric fans to keep the food fresh in it. So, they don’t need any manual de-icing or defrosting. These refrigerators have a longer life, and these are perfect for the people with a frequent need for refrigeration. This frost-free technology is available in double door fridges, triple door fridges, and side by side fridges.
Direct Cool Refrigerators
These refrigerators use conventional methods of cooling. They preserve food for a lesser period of time. The direct cool refrigerators need to be defrosted periodically. You cannot control the distribution of temperature in the fridge. With this, there will be uneven cooling and leads to the accumulation of frost. This technology is used in single door fridges.
Features To Look For While Choosing a Refrigerator
Some refrigerators will come with additional features. Here are the features of the refrigerators:
Convertible Refrigerators or Freezers
On having adjustable cooling zones, it will let the freezer space as a refrigerator when needed. This feature will enable you to effectively enlarge the space of your refrigerator.
Toughened Glass Shelves
If you want to use the refrigerator for a longer time, then it is better choosing a refrigerator with toughened glass shelves.
Cool Pack
Choosing a refrigerator with a cool pack is another great option that will keep the freezer cool for up to 12 hours when there is a power cut. Choosing a refrigerator in the areas where there is a frequent power cut is helpful.
Deodoriser
It removes bad odour from your refrigerator with the help of the powerful filters. If you do not want any odour to smell when you open the fridge then choosing a refrigerator with deodoriser is perfect.
Built-in Voltage Stabilizer
There is a lot of voltage fluctuation in India and it is very important to protect your fridge from those voltage fluctuations. The built-in voltage stabilizers along will help in extending the life of the refrigerator.
Hope this refrigerator buying guide is helpful in getting a new fridge with maximum features. If you have any queries feel free to drop a comment below.