Buying a new fridge?
Would you like to compare all the fridges on the market and find the cheapest to buy and own?
For 15 years this question was easy to answer. A free web comparison calculator compared every fridge on the market, called, www.energyrating.com.au
Built by the Australian government, it spoke to anyone.
But since I last used it the site has been made as clear as mud. When I tried it this week, I could not compare fridges and their efficiency.
(Buying a fridge doesn’t seem like a headline issue, but they can use most electricity in many houses – they’re on 24/7 – and this matters for your bill and getting the most from your solar panels.)
As I’d done for 15 years, I went to the site to list all the fridges sized 500 to 600 litres so I could compare their ten year running costs.
I did this because, for me, it’s the cost to own, not the cost to buy, which is the smartest buying question. “Smartest’ in the sense of saving money and avoiding climate pollution.
Try as I could I could not find where to list fridges for comparison.
"Registration database" - say, what!
Instead, the site asks me to choose the model before I can find its efficiency – as if I already know the model I want! Frustrating, off-putting.
I’m trying to compare all the models in a category so I can see the comparative efficiency of each one, as I’ve done for 20 years when choosing one and advising clients. I don’t yet know which model I want to compare, and I want to compare fridges for their efficiency.
I saw a button lower down that says; "Registration database" - but what does that mean to ordinary folk like me who want to compare fridges?
Turns out, the button called, ‘ Registration Database’ is where I can compare products - at last.
Useful table comparing products for running costs, energy use
Anyway, at least now I know, that is where you and I can access the tool to compare products.