New fridges: More Features, Less Juice

Offering the widest interior space for a side-by-side refrigerator, Maytag's Wide-By-Side has an offset configuration that makes room for awkward or oversized containers in both the refrigerator and freezer compartments. ClimateZone technology automatically adjusts temperature and humidity in the fridge's separate compartments to keep food fresh.

Which of your household appliances guzzles the most energy? According to the DOE, it is probably your refrigerator. Fact is, a typical refrigerator can cost as much as $1,140 to operate over its lifetime, says the DOE, and the older it is, the more electricity it uses. Recognizing the need for change, the Federal government, in 1993, stepped in with mandated energy standards targeting all products, but hitting refrigeration the hardest. Measures called for a 30% reduction in energy usage.

This year, however, designers and manufacturers faced even stiffer terms: Beginning July 1, new refrigerators must use 30% less energy than before, 40% less if they want DOE Energy-Star ratings. At least one manufacturer is aggressively pursuing the Energy Star seal of approval. Sears, recently named the Energy Star Partner of the Year 2001 by the DOE and EPA, already sells more than 250 Energy Star appliances with more on the way.

In an interesting relationship, a team of Whirlpool engineers work with Sears' Kenmore appliance group to design products sold exclusively under the Ken-more name. Other appliance manufacturers have similar relationships with Sears.

Using IR imaging and CFD, Kenmore controls temperature and manages airflow more easily.

Times are a-changin'
"In the past, refrigerators were not very efficient," explains Stefan Grunwald, Kenmore product-development manager. "In fact, efficiency was almost an afterthought. We designed them to be at a certain temperature and we didn't worry much about fluctuations. Now energy performance is first and foremost along with temperature performance."

Consider this: The 2001 energy standards dictate that a typical 25-ft ³ side-by-side refrigerator — the number-one best seller — will use only about as much energy as a 60 to 75-W lightbulb. Kenmore not only expects to hit this but also to do even better in the future.

"As we design products for each new energy standard we try to anticipate what the next energy standard will be, then design those capabilities into the base product," says Grunwald.

This type of thinking has engineers looking at the product more closely to understand how it performs. Kenmore designers are using engineering wonders like IR imaging technology and CFD to better control temperature and manage airflow, keeping it away from areas prone to heat loss.

All-around improvement
Kenmore takes refrigeration seriously, even calling itself "America's best refrigeration system." This claim arises from energy, temperature, and sound performance. The trick is maintaining the claim without giving anything up.