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Monday 28 February 2005 Refrigerated food is a luxury which we now take for granted. Most households have fridges, freezers or both and most diets include items, like dairy products, fast foods and ice cream, which would perish at normal room temperature. But while we may see fridges as benign tools quietly doing their job, like most electrical appliances there is an environmental price to pay for the service they provide. By 1986 a quarter of all global chloroflourocarbon (CFC) production was being used for refrigeration. Although CFC gas production is banned in European Union countries, manufacturers can still sell old stocks of fridges which contain CFCs. Even with curbs on new production present levels of CFCs will continue to destroy ozone in the upper atmosphere for up to one hundred years. Likewise, hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), used as a coolant and in the foam insulation of domestic fridges, are banned because they are ozone depleting. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are now being promoted to replace these other chemicals for the coolant and the foam insulation as they do not harm the ozone layer. They are, however, powerful greenhouse gases - at least 1,200 times more powerful than carbon dioxide (CO2). ICI estimates that 25% of the CFC market will be taken by HFCs by the year 2000. If HFCs replace CFCs without restriction, global HFC emissions would increase to the equivalent of 1,931 million tonnes of CO2. If they are also used as substitutes for HCFCs, the emissions could rise to the equivalent of 4,665 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2035, which will have a significant effect on global warming. Fridges containing HFCs or HCFCs can be labelled 'CFC free', even though they are environmentally damaging. The 'natural' refrigerant hydrocarbon is less harmful. Before CFCs were developed in the 1930s, HCs were widely used in refrigeration. They have no effect on the ozone layer, less impact on global warming (3-4 times more powerful than CO2 but nothing like HFCs – which are 1,200 times more powerful as a greenhouse gas), are cheaper than CFCs and HCFCs and are non-toxic. Calor Gas have produced four specialist hydrocarbon refrigerants: CARE 10 (isobutane), CARE 30 and 40 (propane) and CARE 50. Prices of HC fridges are competitive with HCFC and HFC fridges or, at most, around £50 extra. If the most energy-efficient appliance is bought rather than the least, the lower running cost will payback the price difference within eighteen months. According to the Energy Savings Trust a power station annually emits up to 0.5 tonnes of CO2 to power an average sized fridge. Refrigeration also accounts for 36% of electricity consumed by all domestic appliances. Energy efficient refrigeration can use up to 70% less energy than existing, less efficient models. The most energy efficient unit is completely CFC and HFC free and has an energy consumption of 0.1kW/h/100l/24h, which is the equivalent energy consumption of a 15 watt light bulb. Friends of the Earth recommend buying fridges that run on less than 150kW/h annually and freezers or fridge/freezers which run on 350kW/h or less annually. This amounts to savings of 160kg and 320 kg on CO2 emissions, respectively. Annual energy consumption rates are now displayed on all new models. The label must provide information on the appliance's noise emissions and give an energy rating. The most energy-efficient appliance will have an 'A' grade and the least efficient will have a 'G' grade, these standards being set by the manufacturer. Several easy steps can be taken to ensure the best performance from your fridge or freezer. When buying a new appliance, do not buy one that is bigger than your needs. Free standing appliances positioned in a cool place perform best. Keep the coils at the back dust free as accumulation of dust on condenser coils can increase energy consumption by up to 30%. DIY insulation around the sides of the appliance saves energy consumption. Do not fill more than ¾ full to allow for circulation of cold air. Always defrost regularly. Check door seals for leaks. Cool and cover foods before placing into the fridge or freezer. A thermometer is a useful instrument to have in your appliance so that the temperature can be kept constant (3°C to 5°C for fridges and -18°C for freezers). Around 2000 tonnes of CFCs are contained in the three million fridges scrapped in the UK each year. The CFC coolant can be removed - this is compulsory in Sweden, Germany and The Netherlands but not in the UK (only 15% coolant is currently recovered), although most local authorities offer this service. Even if CFCs in coolants were recovered from all scrapped fridges, 80% of CFCs used in refrigeration could still be emitted into the atmosphere as the UK currently has no facilities for reclaiming CFCs present in the insulation foam, which is released when the machine is shredded. A Danish company has developed a process to recover 85% of the CFCs in the insulation foam by crushing the fridge/freezer under water and collecting the CFCs given off. Some manufacturers and retailers offer trade-ins and recovery of CFC coolant. Repairs can be difficult as manufacturers do not readily supply spare parts, but the German companies Siemens and Bosch have excellent spare parts policies which Liebherr and AEG are beginning to emulate. The industry is making recycling easier and AEG, Liebherr and Bosch code all their plastic components to simplify sorting and recycling. Siemens already have their old appliances returned to them for recycling. Calor Gas has a reclaim policy for its hydrocarbon refrigerants and will reprocess or incinerate depending on their state. Refrigeration Monday 28 February 2005 By law, the European Community Energy Label must be displayed on all new domestic refrigerators, freezers and fridge-freezer combinations, washing machines, electric tumble dryers, combined washer-dryers and dishwashers displayed for sale, hire or hire-purchase. You should expect to be provided with this information however you buy these products. Mail Order catalogues and manufacturers' literature must contain similar information. The scheme is being extended to other appliances. How to Use the Energy Label To Choose More Efficient Products and Save you Money? The more efficient the product, the less energy it needs to do the same job and the more you get for your money. 'A' rated products are the most efficient and 'G' rated products are the least efficient. Use the main 'A - G' scale to find the best buy. For example, if you were buying a large fridge-freezer, choosing a 'B' rated model to replace a similar 'E' rated model could mean: in 1 year - you save £15 in electricity in 10 years - you save £150 So, by choosing the more efficient model you can save money on your electricity bills! How much will it cost to run? This tells you how much electricity this model uses in standard tests. This is given as kWh/year [1] or kWh/cycle [1] depending on the product. You can use this information to work out how much you might save if you choose different machines. Actual savings will, of course, depend on how you use the appliance and how much you pay for your electricity. You can save more money by loading washing machines fully, using economy and low temperature settings, and spin-drying clothes well before you tumble dry; and by ensuring that fridges and freezers are installed away from cookers and other sources of heat - see manufacturer's advice. The European Ecolabel Some products have been awarded the European ecolabel which may appear on the label or elsewhere. The ecolabel indicates that the product has been independently assessed and found to meet strict environmental criteria, putting it among the best in its class. More information about the Ecolabelling Scheme is available at http://www.environment.detr.gov.uk/ecolabel/index.htm Water consumption, conservation and efficiency. Some appliances use more water than others. All water comes at a cost, both to the environment and to you, the person who pays the bills. Choose an appliance that uses water more efficiently. For example, a washing machine that is designed to use 40 litres per wash rather than 90 litres could reduce your household water bill by 10%, saving you £20 per year on an average metered water bill. How well does it perform? The 'A-G' indicators here are similar to the main energy efficiency ratings and are based on European standards (the test cycle used is on the label) : 'A' is the best performance and 'G' is the worst performance. A washing machine that has a good spin drying performance will save you money and time on tumble drying. No labels? Ask your retailer first - he must, by law, provide this information. Local authorities are responsible in the UK for enforcing the regulations that cover energy labels and similar energy information in mail order catalogues etc. You can contact your local Trading Standards Department. Look for "Trading Standards" under Local Council in the phone book. World Food Headlines
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