Savings are in the fridge

That old kitchen refrigerator in the garage keeping six cans of soda chilled probably is costing a bundle in energy charges.

Consumers wanting to know just how much they can save by buying new energy-efficient refrigerators now have a tool with which they can calculate the potential savings.

The Refrigerator Retirement Savings Calculator, developed by the U.S. Department of Energy, can be found at www.energystar.gov/refrigerators. The website is part of the federal Energy Star program, which labels energy-efficient products.

To calculate your refrigerator-bill savings, have your kilowatt-hour rates available; they are listed on electric utility bills. If possible, include the model number of the refrigerator. Touch the “enter” or “return” key on your computer, and voila -- up pops your five-year savings.

-- DIANE WEDNER