There have been marked improvements in the efficiency of refrigerators and freezers over the past 25 years. Prior to 1990 the average, KWH/YR usage for a refrigerator was 1250 kilowatt hours. The 2001 standard is now 476 kWh per year, about 60% less. Similarly, the pre-1990 kWh usage per year for a freezer was 1025. The 2001 standard is 413.

In selecting a new refrigerator consider the following: automatic defrost models waste energy, chose a manual defrost if available in the size you want
side-by-side refrigerators/freezers use more energy than units that have the freezer apartment on the bottom or top
upright freezers use more energy than chest freezers operating two refrigerators uses far more energy than one larger model. Updating your kitchen is one of the most important considerations when preparing your home for sale. These are good options to think about when doing so.