ShareThisQ: I live on a fixed income, so I try to not spend so much on electric bills. What I do is turn off my refrigerator at night, then plug it in again the next morning. My electric bills are a little less than before. Is this a good idea?A: I also received a question concerning an electric water heater and whether it should be turned off when not in use.The answer to both questions is "no" because of the extra energy that will be required to reheat or recool the contents.The contents of the refrigerator/freezer and the water inside a heater's tank absorb and store energy for later use. If the units are turned off, this stored energy -- either the cold air inside a refrigerator or the heat of the water -- is slowly released until the contents reach room temperature.Using the refrigerator as an example, even assuming the doors are not opened during the time the unit is unplugged, the food stored inside will begin to warm and could possibly spoil, exposing you to food poisoning.According to the replies I received from the Educational and Examining Board of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society, "The savings in energy would be minimal but the risks of having contaminated food or premature spoilage would be greater due to the potentially elevated temperatures inside the refrigerator. The minimal savings would not be worth the health risks," and "There is no way I could recommend this type of operation for the refrigerator."If you want to save energy, try to reduce the quantity of food stored, such as leftovers that are soon forgotten. Remember, everything you place inside the refrigerator will absorb energy, and every time you open the door you are releasing some of that stored energy.The water heater is also using large amounts of energy to maintain the water at a constant temperature all day every day, whether or not you are using the stored and heated water. It is possible to lower the temperature of the stored water, but for really big savings the tank should be sized according to your usage.On average, a person uses 10 gallons of hot water for each shower and up to 20 gallons for an average-sized bathtub. By timing your showers, you should be able to reduce the storage size of the tank when the water heater is replaced.Also check for drips or leaks at hot-water fittings that have not been repaired. According to research performed at Penn State University, a one-drop-per-second leak will over a one-year period waste 1,368 gallons of hot water, which has used 456,615 British thermal units of energy.(Dwight Barnett is a certified master inspector with the American Society of Home Inspectors. Write to him with home improvement questions at C. Dwight Barnett, Evansville Courier & Press, P.O. Box 286, Evansville, Ind. 47702 or e-mail him at d.Barnett(at)insightbb.com.)
Food safety trumps energy savings
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