Get Chills, Lower Bills From Fridge

When it comes to energy savings, refrigerators have come a long way since the voracious 1970s.

And there are even more improvements on the horizon.

Shoppers looking for a top-of-the-line energy miser will just have to wait until next month when the 2001 Energy Star models are introduced.

These refrigerators--required to be 10% more efficient than minimum federal refrigerator standards that take effect in July--typically will use 500 kilowatt hours a year, compared to an average of 700 kWh for last year’s models, 900 kWh for 10-year-old models and a gluttonous 2,000 kWh for a refrigerator made in 1973.

Replacing a 20-year-old model with a new Energy Star refrigerator will easily save more than $100 a year in energy bills, said Jennifer Thorne, co-author of “Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings.”

At current Southern California Edison Co. rates, a refrigerator using 500 kWh annually would cost about $70 a year to operate; a 700 kWh model, $98; a 900 kWh model, $126; and a 2,000 kWh model, $280.

The Energy Star designation, a joint program of the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, is given to appliances that exceed federal energy standards shown on the yellow Energy Guide labels on new appliances.

When new models are available, https://www.energystar.gov will list them and provide store locations.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is updating its list of energy-efficient refrigerators at https://www.aceee.org.

* Send your questions or suggestions regarding energy use to Home Design, Los Angeles Times, Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626 or send e-mail to ocsocalliv@latimes.com. Please include your name and telephone number.