The refrigerator can be your best friend after a long hot day when there’s nothing you’d rather have than an ice-cold drink. It has the unique 24/7 365 job of keeping your food at the proper temperature. What other appliance or product do you own that works constantly… not many, even your smartphone gets a rest at night. Eventually, it can break down after years of use and wear and tear. When you look for your next fridge, how can you be sure that it will meet your needs? Visiting a local appliance dealer should get you the right fridge with all the features you desire, at the price you are comfortable paying.
Refrigerators are machines you don’t replace often and expect years of service from. Maybe it’s time for a new color or finish, there are many to choose from today. Therefore, it’s a good idea to do your due diligence and make a list of wants for your new refrigerator. Here’s what you need to consider:
Crucial Features to Look for When You Buy a New Refrigerator
1 – Doors- How many
There are many different styles for refrigerator doors that will meet different types of needs. Some of them have only one main door, most have at least two. The “French or Armoire’ style” which would have 3, 4 or even more doors. Some have an outer door to quickly reach items in the door storage, like juices, milk and condiments. Top Mount and Side by side units are still popular but have given way to the French door styled units for many. The French door units offer the optimum access to the paper refrigerator compartment and generally use drawers for the freezer compartment(s). Although any door type is effective and will keep your food fresh, the door style dictates how you access your foods.
2 – Customizable Shelf Design
Inside the fridge, there will also be various types and designs for the shelves. If you need to store a lot of food, you may want to consider looking for a fridge that has extendable and customizable shelves to be able to accommodate different-sized boxes and containers. These may be adjustable in both the doors and inside the unit.
3 – Filtered water dispenser/ specialty Ice Maker
A filtered water dispenser to keep water bottles filled can benefit health, the environment and save a few dollars on buying pre-packaged water. While filters for refrigerators aren’t new, easy to use dispensers with pre-set dispensing amounts make them much easier to use and less messy. Use a lot of ice or love to host parties? Some fridges are available with multiple ice makers for extra volume. These can save that last minute trip for bagged ice and are just the cure for “margarita night”. Another new option is specialty ice or “craft” ice. Large ball ice for your favorite bourbon or scotch can’t be beat. A smaller, chewable type of ice is another option versus using the crushed feature that often results in more melted ice than not. Look for these options in many of the mid to higher priced models.
4 – Efficient Power Consumption
One consideration is efficient power consumption. Energy star options have been there for many years and now are mandated by the government for most household refrigeration. There will be a tag that offers clear information on how energy-efficient the unit is. This of course equates to monthly savings on your power bill. Replacing a fridge that was built in the 80’s and early 90’s will offer a nice savings in energy and usually much quieter in operation. If you have a unit built prior to that, it’s costing considerably more to operate than current models. Often customers will put an older fridge that still functions out in a garage, which is usually un-conditioned. During hot summer months ( depending upon what area of the US you reside) the unit actually works even harder, using even more energy. Consider whether you really need a second unit or inquire about units called “garage rated or garage rated”. Many deep freezers are rated as such for efficiency.
5 – Connected-Smart appliances
Lastly, you may want to look for many different specialty features that the newer models of refrigerators have. Some may come with “smart” features that allow you to connect your fridge to your home’s wifi network. This may enable you to keep an inventory of your fridge, keep a grocery list. Accessing the internet to look at recipes, use social media, smart doorbells and home cameras. These features may offer benefits that you may not have thought would be possible to do with a fridge!
Conclusion
Making sure that you find a fridge that can be a solution to your kitchen needs will allow you to make the most of this essential appliance. If it is your first time to purchase a refrigerator, we hope that this blog post will help you be able to buy the right one.
To get your new fridge, come to AllSouth Appliance! We have a wide range of refrigerators and all your other kitchen needs! We make it a point to provide sales, delivery, service, and installation on nearly 100 different brands of appliances, kitchen and outdoor products with something to match every budget and taste. Get the best in kitchen appliances today!
