Note: all Energy Consumption figures assume ambient temperature between 28°C and 35°C
* APL-001: 220L LPG Fridge uses 180Kg of LPG per year
Legend: W=12,24,240V C=Chest, U=Upright, R= Refrigerator Only, F=Freezer, B=Both, E=Either Fridge or Freezer Only
† = Automatic Defrost. Need to specify voltage (12 or 24).
Manual Defrost is available on order (uses about 3% less energy)

Refrigeration

Refrigeration is often the largest electrical load in a home power system. The first option that people often consider is conventional 240V units. Despite improving efficiency in the last few years, standard domestic refrigerators are still rather power hungry. Manufacturers make them with price, appearance and space in mind and efficiency is a minor consideration.

We have tested a number of these fridges and in general terms they take 2 - 3 times more power than a 12/24V Danfoss compressor driven fridge. (A 240V type fridge will typically require eight to twelve 80W solar panels at a cost of several thousand dollars). Added to this cost is the cost of a larger inverter to power such a fridge and an ongoing cost for larger batteries. In general terms, we would not recommend using 240V domestic fridges unless you plan on having a back-up diesel generator coupled to a large battery charger or interactive inverter-charger in your home power system.

Another alternative to consider is an LP gas fridge. These are fairly costly to buy and a 220 litre unit will use a 45 kg bottle of LP gas every 3 months. They do need a bit of ongoing maintenance and they generate some heat and fumes that need to be vented out of the building. There is also some anecdotal evidence that they can have difficulty coping with extreme tropical conditions such as in North Queensland and Darwin.

Some of these fridges are often known as 2 way or 3 way in that they can also run off 12V or mains power electricity. These use the electricity to first make heat similar to the gas flame. Depending on size, they typically draw 10 - 25A @ 12V and will run non stop for 24 hours per day. This type of fridge is okay to run on gas but is too power hungry to run it off solar.

The last and best option to consider is a 12/24V Danfoss compressor driven fridge. This Danish made compressor is renowned for its efficiency and reliability. These compressors are used in the majority of vaccine fridges around the world for these reasons. With 12/24V fridges, the chest type is more efficient than a front opening one which lets all the cold air fall out. This type of fridge will typically require one to five 80W solar panels (depending on the capacity of the fridge etc.).