Few of us could function without a fridge, but running a fridge over it’s lifetime can be expensive, and could be costing you more than you think.

After central heating, domestic cooling appliances like fridges and freezers are the biggest contributor to your energy bill because they’re left switched on all the time. They account for 20% of electricity used by all of the domestic appliances in the average UK home. It therefore makes sense to invest in energy- efficient appliances when you come to upgrade your goods.

Energy running costs affect the true price of a fridge – one that’s cheap to buy but pricey to power could work out more expensive in the long run.

One way to get an idea of running costs is to examine the EU Energy label when you purchase a fridge. All fridges have EU energy labels ranging from the ultra-efficient A+++  to  G ratings.  Since July 2012 all new fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers must have a minimum rating of A+, so if you have an older fridge it may be time to upgrade and quickly make up the cost in energy saving!

Even models which have the same energy-efficiency rating can have very different annual running costs. Consumer advocate Which? has tested many different fridges and found that two A++ rated washing machines can vary in energy cost by 30%, or £130, over five years.

This post was sponsored by Samsung