Fridge Freezers

And Refrigeration... American Style

Fridge freezers are now an almost essential part of a modern kitchen... of course a decision has to be made when you are contemplating a new kitchen as to whether to incorporate new built-in appliances or not, but if you are looking to buy a non built-in fridge freezer then we have recommendations here.

A few points to consider before you choose which to actually buy...

If you are going to try to source a built-in model... then I would still choose the same brands, but you have to take on board the fact that fewer of this type are bought... so the price for a comparable model will be that much higher. The main consideration nowadays should be... fuel economy. Do go for an A+ rated model if possible, it will save no end of money in the long run... in fact not such a long run these days. See below - Fridges and freezers are big users of power!

The amount of space which is available, and the design of your kitchen will, to an extent, govern your refrigeration choices. Unless, of course, you are lucky enough to have a utility room, or an integral garage which doesn't get too cold during the winter months.

[Note:  refrigerators, fridge freezers, and freezers are all built to work within certain specified and pre-determined temperature levels.]

If you have the room available you might consider the American style models where you have a fridge and a freezer side by side... this will give you double the storage space and also extra features built-in.

If you decide upon a frost-free model remember to leave space around your food for air to circulate.

Dual control fridge freezers are worth thinking about, though they are sometimes more expensive... you might want to turn off just the freezer to defrost it, or leave the freezer on whilst on holiday and turn off the fridge compartment.

Energy Ratings... new models are rated from A+ to down to C... with C being the worst. With our refrigeration appliances being the largest energy consumers within our houses... choose an A graded one, nothing worse... it may be more expensive initially BUT it will pay for itself very quickly.

Another thought, if you are lucky enough to get a model with rollers or castors it will be much easier for moving and cleaning around.

If you decide to go round the shops to actually look at the available models... trust your eyes rather than the quoted capacity of the models on display... the quotes can be well out! Also check shelves, baskets, etcetera, for convenience when in use.

Last of all choose the best model you can afford... fridge freezers should be a long term purchase... so you want to be sure that you are choosing a reliable brand. Some brands are extremely unreliable, and what seems a bargain at first... won't be in the long run.

All these chosen fridge freezer and American style fridge freezer models are A rated, so will be economical to run.

First let me mention a representative of my favourite brand Bosch... the Bosch KGU 32125... and the Bosch KGU 32165 [silver] Logixx. The Logixx mark is for the very highest specification Bosch goods only. These fridge freezers comes with a very impressive specification, in white or silver... it is a frost-free system, superfast freezing, reversible door hinging, 4 transparent freezer drawers, and a door open alarm. The freezer compartment is at the bottom. The claimed capacity is 320 litres gross, with 192 litres net fridge, and 96 litres net freezer... visually the freezing compartment looks much larger than that. Approximate running costs per year were claimed at £25.83 when this was written.... costs have shot through the roof since then, and continue to rise steadily ever upwards.

Whirlpool are another reliable brand when it comes to refrigeration... the ARC 7470... and the ARC 7470/AL [aluminium] has a claimed capacity of 305 litres, 212 litres fridge, 93 litres freezer... all gross. The freezer looks much smaller, has three see through drawers and also has reversible door hinging. Freezer compartment is at the bottom.

American style fridge freezers...

If you are choosing an American style model try Whirlpool, I am quoting three different model numbers which refer to alternative finishes... some will be cheaper than others... S20D RBB 32-A/G - black, S20D RWW 30-A/G - white, and S20D RSS 33-A/G - stainless steel. Not all finishes are available at all the recommended stockists.

STOCKISTS...

Below you have a list of our chosen stockists for fridge freezers, check them out for price and availability and see where you can obtain the best deal... you may be surprised at the outcome.

If you are worried about having large goods delivered from the internet... remember, when buying from a shop, they have to be delivered to that shop, then taken out and delivered to the customer... with internet purchase you probably cut out at least one journey before they arrive at your door. One of the reasons why it should be cheaper to buy from an internet store.

First the Co-op Electrical Shop... they stock ALL but the white version of the American style Whirlpool and the ARC7470 and ARC7470/AL at the time of writing.

24-7 Electrical... stock the elusive Whirlpool ARC 7470AL and ARC 7470WH.

How about Tesco? ... at the time of writing they had the Bosch only in stock... but their stock position changes extremely rapidly.

Be-direct stock Bosch models KGU 32125GB and KGU 32165, silver.

DISPOSAL... of your old appliances can be a problem. Some councils collect them for a reasonable charge... my advice would be to check carefully what service they offer before you telephone them for the actual collection.

Sometimes they collect more than one item for the same charge, you could then divide your costs with a neighbour or friend with one item each! You may be able to take them to a recycling area, or maybe your supplier may offer a collection service.

For an environmentally friendly alternative way of disposing of your old 'white goods' go back to our Kitchen Large page, then go over to 'Washing Machines'... you will find fascinating details and useful addresses at the bottom of that page.

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