When it comes to using household appliances more efficiently, there are plenty of ways to cut back on your energy usage and save money on your bills. However, often we find ourselves hunting for near-unheard-of hacks and unusual methods to save that extra bit of energy… when sometimes, the best ways to save are also the most obvious. In that regard, fridge freezers are no exception!

Don’t forget about the frost

Fridge freezers, if not properly looked after and maintained, can end up being very costly to run. Fortunately, there’s one very simple way to keep your fridge freezer from gradually pushing up your energy bills over time, and it’s much simpler than you’d expect; defrosting your freezer.

Over time, ice can build up inside your freezer, and this will eventually get out of hand if it’s left unattended. When your freezer starts to suffer from excessive ice build-up, your appliance will need to work harder to maintain the proper temperature. This will cause it to use more energy as a result, and this can truly spell disaster for your energy bills.

Defrosting your freezer

Fortunately, defrosting your freezer is a quick and simple way to prevent this from happening. By defrosting your freezer whenever necessary, you can end up saving as much as a shocking £150 per year – and it really doesn’t even take that much effort! Generally, a freezer should be defrosted whenever you notice excessive ice build-up inside, or between six months to a year depending on what your fridge freezer’s manufacturer recommends. This means that carrying out this quick maintenance task only once or twice a year is all that’s necessary to take a large chunk off your energy bills.

How to defrost your freezer

Before defrosting your freezer, you should check if your appliance comes with an automatic defrost function. If so, this isn’t something you’ll even need to worry about, as your appliance will fend off the frost without you even needing to lift a finger. Job’s a good’un!

However, if your fridge needs to be defrosted manually, the process is super simple. All you need to do is unplug and switch off your fridge freezer, then empty your appliance of its contents. Then open your freezer door, making sure you lay down a towel or two at the base of the freezer to soak up any water from the melting ice. You can also place down a bucket to catch all the water if this is more suitable for your particular appliance. Your freezer should be fully defrosted and looking up to scratch within a couple of hours, ready to be plugged back in and have your food returned. It’s really that easy, and your appliance will be working so much more efficiently for it!

Hopefully, with this little bit of advice, you’ll now have your fridge freezer fully defrosted and running more efficiently than ever. Before you go, why not also give our 50 appliance energy-saving tips a read too? With these, you can knock up to £650 off your energy bills annually, saving a ton of dosh!

Tags: Energy Saving, Energy Saving Tips, Freezer, Fridge Freezer, Fridge Maintenance