

Many power plants also discharge water pollution and hot water that harms fish. Two-thirds of electricity in the United States is generated by burning fuel, which produces air pollution that contributes to respiratory illnesses, global climate change, and acid rain that harms our food crops and acidifies our water, increasing our risk of lead poisoning.At the average American electricity price, that costs $35.33, so adding a small freezer to your home adds about $3 per month to your electric bill. That calculator doesn’t get very specific about freezer size, but it says that a new chest freezer smaller than 16.5 cubic feet uses about 292 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per year. Here’s a handy calculator that estimates how much energy a freezer will use. If you’re buying a freezer, you probably do want to invest in a new one–or a used freezer that is only a few years old–because improvements in technology make newer freezers about twice as energy-efficient as those built in the twentieth century. Smaller freezers cost less to buy and use less electricity. Getting some extra freezer space doesn’t mean you have to buy a freezer as big as your refrigerator! A smaller one that would double your total freezer space might be enough. To measure yours, use a yardstick to measure height, width, and depth inside the freezer multiply these numbers together, and divide by 1728.) (My refrigerator’s freezer compartment is 4.11 cubic feet.

Looking at the array of freezers on Amazon, I see that a freestanding freezer that holds 3-6 cubic feet can be bought new for under $200. The Costs of an Extra Freezer: Money and Pollution
#FREEZER INVENTORY LIST HOW TO#
Then I’ll explain how to practice good Kitchen Stewardship ® with any size freezer. Our strategies for using all the food and staying organized are effective, no matter how much freezer space you have! Let’s talk about some things to consider when you’re deciding whether or not to buy an extra freezer. My family and I do a lot of home cooking and freeze some of it for later, and we also rely on frozen convenience foods for a small part of our diet, but we make our fridge-freezer work for us! Most food bloggers speak of freezing so casually that you feel they must have a gigantic deep-freeze or at least something beyond the little freezer compartment of the refrigerator. That seemed to be the secret to stocking up on fruits and vegetables in season, cooking in big batches, making our own convenience foods to eat at busier times, keeping bulk-purchased nuts fresh until we use them, and putting aside leftovers while we’re on vacation. Take Everything Out and See What You HaveĪs I started getting more serious about eating real food, I kept hearing, “Just freeze it!” Even Katie swears by her freezer stash!.The Costs of an Extra Freezer: Money and Pollution.
