Recycle old freezers and buy Energy Star™


Problem: Old refrigerators and large freezers may use 4-5 kWh per day, while new models only use 1-2 kWh. At 12 cents per kWh that’s about $100-200 per year difference in energy costs.

Solution: Southern California Edison will pick it up, give the UC Regents* a $30-50 rebate (a.k.a. bounty) for old appliances, and a $50 rebate if you buy an energy star model.

Benefits: You may save the university up to 50 cents per day per freezer, thus reducing pressure on overhead costs.

The older chest freezer uses more than three times the electricity of the newer model.

Costs: You need to clean out the old beast and arrange a pick-up: refreigerator and freezer recycling

You may want to coordinate with other members of your department and pool several UCSB account numbers to take advantage of the “2 appliances per account” rule. The Energy Star Website (link to:http://www.energystar.gov/ ) is a great place to start looking. Aim to purchase an appliance at least 20% more efficient.