Reevoo real-world guide to buying a freezer
So many freezers to choose from…can they all be that different??
Capacity
One of the most important things when buying a freezer is the size, in terms of the amount of food you need to store and the room you have in your home to accommodate the freezer itself.
Freezer capacity is normally measured in litres or cubic feet, with a cubic foot being around 28 litres. For energy efficiency, a freezer should be kept at least two-thirds full. If you do not require large volumes of food storage space you can get compact freezers. These are smaller versions of the full size chest and upright freezers, with less than 10 cubic feet of space.
Capacities:
Freezer types
With the space you have available there are two main types of freezer available, the Chest freezer and the upright freezer.
Chest Freezers are normally large box styled units that are wide across the top and sit on the floor with a top opening. There are not normally shelves but baskets fitted inside the freezer, which can be removed for easier storage. Chest freezers are most suitable if you buy food in bulk and require to deep freez large volumes of food for extended periods of time. Most chest freezers will range from 10 to 25 cubic feet, having a greater capacity than upright freezers due to the lack of shelving.
Upright Freezers can be considered as a step up from the small freezer compartments attached to some fridges. If you want to start to benefit from bulk buying food, which can then be frozen an upright freezer is worth considering. It offers a similar design to a fridge with separate shelving compartments, allowing increased storage and freezing capacities. Most upright freezers are in the range of between 10 to 21 cubic feet but as shelving is easily movable the dynamics of what can be stored in the freezer is quite variable.
Types:
Defrosting
The defrosting options of your freezer will have an effect on how well it stores your food and will impact on your energy costs. Chest Freezers come with manual defrost only, which means that foods are frozen with more moisture in the freezer. This is actually better for preserving foods and preventing freezer burn.
With manual defrost you have to empty the contents of the freezer occasionally to allow the excess frost the melt. The freezer must be placed at a position that allows the excess run-off water to drain away. Some models offer a front-draining system, allowing you to connect a hose. Manual defrost uses about 40% less electricity and is better at holding the temperature steady with large amounts of food.
Upright Freezer models offers a choice of manual or frost-free defrost systems. With a frost-free system your food is frozen with less moisture in the freezer. These models use up more energy but mean you have to apply less direct maintenance.
Frost Free System:
Energy ratings
When choosing your freezer, look for the energy-saving label. All freezers have to be labelled with the ratio of energy consumption in relation to volume. Look out for Energy Efficiency ratings ranging from A to G where A is the most efficient.The energy label displays the model’s annual operating cost. The energy cost of your freezer is determined by many factors such as how much food you store in it, the amount of frost build-up, where it is kept in your home, and how long you keep the door open while searching for food.
Freezers keep food at —18C and fast freeze at —26C. Fast freezing is the optimum freezing temperature for fresh food to retain most of its nutritional value. It is important to keep the freezer temperature constant in order not to increase energy expenditure – every degree below —18C increases energy expenditure by 5%.