Japanese appliance manufacturers offer energy-saving tips for refrigerators
Home appliance manufacturers in Japan are sending out information on the proper use of refrigerators and energy-saving tips as the hot season takes hold in the country.
“The food should not be overcrowded, but should be spaced apart to create paths for cold air to pass through, so that the entire interior can be cooled properly. A good rule of thumb is to have the back wall visible,” advises a post by the Japan Electrical Manufacturers’ Association’s refrigerator special committee on its X (formerly Twitter) account.
A post titled, “Are you cleaning the ‘back’ of your refrigerator properly?” says that “dust accumulated on the back of the refrigerator makes it difficult to cool and causes unnecessary power consumption, so it is recommended to clean it about once a year.” As a cleaning tip, it advises, “The refrigerator may look large and difficult to move, but it has casters on its base, and you can pull it forward by turning the adjustable feet and lifting it slightly.”
Other advice includes, “Check for looseness in the door packing. If it is loose due to deterioration, cold air may be escaping!” and “Cold air moves from the top to the bottom, so if the temperature is high, put the food you want to cool on the bottom shelf.”
On the other hand, it is OK to pack food tightly in freezers. Because the frozen food acts as a refrigerant, the temperature rises less when the freezer is opened and closed if it is packed in.
The latest refrigerator features are also being promoted. While the price of electricity continues to rise, the products made in 2023 are around 30% more energy-efficient than refrigerators made 10 years earlier in 2013, and some models have enhanced IoT (Internet of Things) and other technologies, allowing customers to check the inside of their refrigerators with their smartphones even when they are out of the house.
Home appliance manufacturers have designated the summer solstice, when daylight hours are the longest of the year, as “Refrigerator Day.” According to the Japan Electrical Manufacturers’ Association, the day was established in 1985 to encourage people to make sure that refrigerators are not used in a way that causes malfunction or deteriorate before summer, when they are usually most active.
