I’d greatly appreciate a little help in evaluating the energy efficiency of this model refrigerator my landlord has proposed. The site is in Chinese and the critical energy can’t seem to be translated through Google. You’ll notice an image of an energy scale, but I cannot read the information accompanying it. It’s given a “4” on a 1–5 scale, but what does the “5” represent - is the highest/lowest between a range of all energy-efficient models, or is this a lowest rating on a scale that includes non-energy efficient models? Kind thanks. 24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC0W-A73315173
If you look at the “thermometer”, the 4 seems to be a pretty crappy rating, since the pretty Earth is at one with a greenish-blue color, and the 5 is an apocalyptic red. And 4 is orange, and the convention for color coding usually puts green as good and red as bad, and orange for warning.
Try to look for European-made, or at least designed, fridges (Siemens, Bosch…) the eco rating is much better. Some american brands (like Whirlpool) are pretty good too.
Well, yes, this is what I would tend to assume as well, however the language barrier just produces extra caution. A better alternative appears to be:
24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC04-A79278014
or
24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC03-A70069954
24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC6S-A76929366
We’ve just installed a new 27,000nt AC of my choosing with the landlord covering two-thirds the cost, and I the other third, specifically to have a more efficient, better performing AC. The fridge, which he chose and was expected to fulfill the same requirements, appears not to be suitable. I’ve spent the past 18 months paying considerable utility bills for a small studio apt with a cheap, and long-since partially defective fridge. TIme to address this now correctly.
Also remember smaller fridges or AC appears to be less efficient than larger ones… so people buy oversized appliances and end up using more energy.
Appropriate sizing seems a vastly under-considered point in Taiwan, in general, across numerous areas, and certainly extending to lighting, again a deleterious effect on energy efficiency. Looking at many apartment buildings, I see absurd lighting choices - wattages that would be appropriate in a work area where one needs to see everything illuminated are routinely applied to hallways where one simply needs adequate light for a path of travel. In other words a couple conventional 40 watt bulbs evenly spaced would suffice, but instead we see a single 150 watt blinding bulb in one spot. (I’m using incandescent rating equivalents - fluorescents consume only a 1/3 to 1/4 the current, but the idea still applies.)
Regarding the refrigerator, this holds true here as well, however, the landlord’s proposed new unit is the same size as the old, so I still seek assistance in evaluating the efficiency.
Here’s the one he’s suggesting - cannot read the Chinese, but there are three values here next to the thermometer graphic: 360, 140, and 5.7. What are these?
Would like to be able to compare figures but unfortunately the information is not laid out in the same way, making comparisons, in my rather poor Chinese, difficult. And there’s no thermometer graphic for this, so I need to know how the above model compares with this: 24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC04-A79278014.
The Chinese says 360kWh (度) per year typical. The annotation at the side of the thermometer says ‘uses more’ at the top and ‘uses less’ at the bottom.
The last time I checked in the supermarket, they were all shit - well above the average 1kWh/day you’d expect in Europe, some of the bigger ones 3-4kWh/day IIRC. The Panasonic ‘Econavi’ range seem to use the same amount of energy, but with four times the volume. I guessing you don’t need that much space though.
As Blaquesmith said, look for a European one. There are some good German-made ones out there with excellent performance. They’re not cheap, but not outrageously expensive either.
Thanks, amortized over a year, offset by monthly utility savings is really the focus.
Well … realistically 360kWh/year is still only ~NT$250 per two-monthly bill. You’re not going to get your money back on a more efficient fridge, certainly not over a year … which is why nobody buys them.
I do prefer Panasonic appliances, made in Taiwan, usually have a 1 or 2 rating. Problem is you are looking at small, taofang size fridges, which tend to be of lesser brands.
This looks better: 24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC6S-A8 … =/S/DPAC6F
And 24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC6S-A7 … =/S/DPAC6F
Rating is 1
Frigidaire
If I were you, I’d go to ZhuenGuo Dien Tzu elifemall.com.tw/, see what they got. It is much preferable to avoid 3C -big yellow store chain- due to after service and quality concerns.
You can make your own, you know.
Buy a chest freezer and install an external thermostat so that it runs at the standard 3 or 4’C fridge temperature. There are instructions on the interweb. Apparently this will use <50kWh/year. I’ve been meaning to try it myself.
The 67 litre is too small, and the very tall one Finley pointed to…it’s actually twice the necessary size. I’d prefer half the size with half consumption.
Essentially, 95-120 litre is fine, and efficiency should be under 225kWh a year, I’d say.
What’s the yearly energy consumption on this one please: 24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC6S-A76929366 ?
My landlord adds the utility bill on top of the rent each month, not every other month. And here’s why all the concern: I live in a very small dorm-like studio apartment, just about 3 ping. Small, yes, but I’m fond of the location, the view, and I regard the whole affair as something of an exercise in space efficiency, resourcefulness, and efficient living. I’ve apartments in LA and Leicester, and so I definitely don’t need more for Taipei.
I’m not cooking here and do not have an excess of appliances, nevertheless, my utility charges as presented by the landlord amount to about 1500NT per month (!) which really seems out of order. A chunk of this is surely due to the previously damaged old fridge which was missing an internal freezer door, building up ice, and generating extra heat - just a bad unit, running particularly inefficiently.
How is electricity priced here - what is the cost per unit?
Another constraint on the fridge - it’s in full view in my 1 room apt, and therefore shouldn’t be white. Black or silver only.
消耗功率：22KwH/月 Is this correct? 22 X 12 then = 264 but they give you a dehumidifier when you buy this fridge.
The other ones I gave you were 15 and 19, bit bit less, smaller fridges.
1500 seems a bit high, again, that is the problem of shared meter and not a single personal bill. Water should be about 200 nts tops, electricity depends on your AC consumption -or heater in winter. Electricity is paid every 2 months, too, not monthly.
Icon - thank you for your response but I’m having a bit of trouble following…
“消耗功率：22KwH/月 Is this correct? 22 X 12 then = 264 but they give you a dehumidifier when you buy this fridge.”
Which is this and what was meant by an additional dehumidifier - an additional appliance included in the purchase of the fridge or a feature of that model?
My portion of the electricity bill is indeed paid every single month as requested by the landlord. The manager comes, reads the meter and calculates the charge. I do not know if it’s metered entirely separate from the other apt adjacent mine in our shared two apt hall. My neighbor there has moved out and the space has been vacant so we’ll see what impact this has. How is electricity priced here - what is the cost per unit?
Any non-white 95-120 litre unit with an efficiency of 225kWh a year or better is fine. What’s the yearly energy consumption on this one please: 24h.pchome.com.tw/prod/DPAC6S-A76929366 ?
Your landlord is taking you for a very scenic ride. Electricity is about NT$4/kWh, so NT$1500 would be 375kWh per month. There are people who live in 40-room country piles in England for less than that.
What’s probably happening here is that you have several apartments running off one meter, and the landlord is splitting it between the tenants (and him/herself). One of your fellow tenants is operating a hydroponics farm.
Are you sure that’s JUST the utility bills? It’s possible you’re paying a big whack for building maintenance too.
Time for a friendly chat with the landlord, I think. Buying a new fridge will save you a grand total of $500 per year.
It’s utility only. I now have the detailed charges:
2013
7/1-8/1: meter 8762-9106, 344kWh, 1720NT
8/1-9/1: meter 9106-9562, 456kWh, 2280NT
9/1-10/3: meter 9562-9829, 267kWh, 1335NT
10/3-11/2: meter 9829-9971, 142kWh, 710NT
11/2-12/2: meter 9971-10125, 154kWh, 770NT
2014
12/2-1/2: meter 10125-10283, 158kWh, 790NT
1/2-2/4: meter 10283-10585, 302kWh, 1510NT
2/4-3/1: meter 10585-10840, 255kWh, 1275NT
So the average of these past eight, widely-varying weather months is 1300NT (a bit less than previously stated).
Calculated according to the above charges, my utility rate is also a bit higher at 5NT per kWh, not 4NT.
Therefore, assuming the last fridge to be drawing more current while it struggles to work in its damaged state, let’s say it’s at least a bit more inefficient than any one of the models in the links above, and draws 400kWh. It certainly could be more but the one the landlord is proposing (and actually has now had delivered - it’s outside in the hall, waiting to be opened or returned) is rated at 360. So 400kWh x 5Nt = 2000NT a year.
An efficient same-sized unit rated at 180kWh then runs 900NT for the year’s energy. This saves a grander total of 1100NT (not 500NT) each year in reduced consumption and every year thereafter over the last model used in the apt. It would likely continue functioning for a period around 7 years, over which time its extended efficiency produces savings which exceed the unit’s full purchase price.
There’s no way on earth your fridge is responsible for those monstrous bills. The motor is only rated at a couple of hundred watts and has the duty cycle limited (by a thermal cutout) to about 1:4.
456Kwh? WTF?
Looking at your billing pattern (considerably higher during warmer months), I suspect some smartarse is charging you for their aircon usage. Possibly your landlord is passing on the entire electricity bill (for you and the landlord) to you. Either way, someone is shafting you. It ain’t your frankenstein fridge.
Hmmm, actually no, I don’t think it’s 13+kWh/day for the frankenfridge…how was this calculated? I’m of course not inclined to think or suggest it’s at the heart of any problem here at all - just a part of it, albeit nothing near the major culprit, which has to be air-con (now addressed with a new unit) and/or joint charges with someone else’s unit.
It was just one of your random numbers divided by 30. The fact that the readings are going up and down (by a large amount) also suggests it isn’t the fridge.
If you want to know for sure, you could invest in one of those little plug-in power meters, but they ain’t cheap (~NT$1600-2000).
For reference, our two-month bill has never been higher than NT$2000, and we do use the aircon (not excessively) during the hot weather (40-ping house).
Yes, we know it’s very clear it’s not the fridge. This thread was to investigate different models and understand their consumption, but it expanded into the wider issues. You’re obviously doing energy usage quite efficiently in your 40 ping home. Congrats - if only others would follow suit.
I’m also not inclined to think the landlord is deliberately shafting anyone - we have a very good rappore, actually, I know her and her son somewhat well, while most of the building tenants have never met them, and deal only the manager. She came to visit me in the hospital, we are personable with each other, and she was quite amenable to my suggestion to replace the AC with a modern, correctly-sized inverter-equipped unit. I’m in contact on these issues with her and her son and it was he who was responsible for misinterpreting my suggestion/preference for an energy efficient fridge, and wound up buying the junkish 360kWh new Sampo fridge in the hall, which I’ll send back. At any rate, they were surprised to hear last month, that my bills were so high.
Can a clever/crafty tenant somehow do rewiring to charge others for his power use, or do some buildings divide billing across entire floors or adjoining apartments?