A fridge freezer is an important appliance for your home and is usual a one off purchase. As a result you need to be sure that the fridge freezer you chose is right for you in the long term; follow this simple guide to help with you purchase.
Space
- A fridge freezer is a great way to save space in your kitchen and takes up much less floor space than a fridge and freezer as separate units.
- Decide how much space you have in your kitchen for your fridge freezer – decide on the place you want it to go before you start looking and don’t try to move your kitchen around just to fit in the fridge freezer.
- Measure the area accurately – make sure you take all measurements including height, width and depth – make sure also that you will have enough room to open the door.
- Most fridges are most commonly available in 3 widths to make your selection easier, these are 50cm, 55cm and 60cm.
Look
- The look for your fridge freezer can make your kitchen – decide first if you want a stand alone fridge freezer or a built in integrated fridge freezer.
- Stand alone fridges can come in a variety of styles and finishes; one of the most fashionable looks in recent years is the stainless steel fridge freezer. Also becoming increasingly common are the American style Smeg fridges and fridges in bold colours such as red and black.
- If an integrated fridge freezer will look better in your kitchen you can have a custom built fridge freezer which blends in perfectly with the look of your kitchen. You can also have a fridge freezer hidden behind a cupboard or panel door – this is often the cheaper and easier option.
Capacity
- You need to consider how much space you will need in your fridge in relation to how much you intend to store and what type of shopper you are.
- Those who prefer to shop in bulk and freeze many of their items may decide on a fridge freezer which has a larger Freezer section, whilst those who shop regularly and prefer fresh ingredients may prefer a larger fridge.
- Don’t forget you can also get fridge freezers with sections of equal size.
Storage and Features
- Make sure your fridge freezer has the right shelves for you – there are many options now for shelves including easy clean glass shelves, removable shelves, adjustable shelves and flexible space shelves.
- You can get a frost free option on your fridge freezer which alleviates the worry of needing to defrost your freezer regularly.
- You can also get other added features in your fridge freezer such as wine racks, drawers, temperature controlled compartments, built in alarms, digital temperature displays, push button controls, auto-defrost options ice makers and through the door water and ice dispensers.
Energy
- You will find that there is an energy efficiency labelling scheme on most appliances you buy including fridges.
- The energy scale ranges between A and G with A being the most efficient.
- An appliance marked A uses approximately half the energy of one marked G.
- It is said that you can save up to £50 a year buy switching to an appliance marked A.
Saving Money and Hidden Costs
- Make sure you shop around before purchasing your fridge freezer to ensure you get the best and most competitive price. Make sure too that you compare brands, many of the top brands including Whirlpool, Hotpoint, Bosch and Smeg have a wide range of fridges at varying costs.
- Make sure you know about your warranty, whether it is included in the price of your fridge freezer or whether you will be charged extra. You should also check how long it will last, what exactly it covers and whether you can renew it.
- You also need to ask about delivery and installation costs although many companies will offer this service for free.