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Refrigerator Buying Guide

Everything you need to know about purchasing a new refrigerator for your home, in one place.

Ten years ago, refrigerators were fairly simple to buy. The most difficult decision, when purchasing a refrigerator in the past, was eggshell or off-white. As technological advancements were achieved, appliance manufacturers began to think outside the box with modern designs and innovative features. Today, you will find a wide array of colors, designs, and feature.

Due to the renovation of the basic refrigerator design, selecting a refrigerator can be a tedious task. Fortunately, this buying guide will help you select the right model to meet your needs, budget, and lifestyle.

What You Need to Know First

Dimensions

Before you purchase a refrigerator based on its style and appearance, you need take a look at the dimensions of the unit. If the refrigerator will not fit through your doorway, or into the allotted space in your kitchen there is no point in buying it.

In order to determine whether or not your refrigerator will fit your kitchen, you must take several measurements. First measure the height and width of the doorways the refrigerator must travel to during the delivery process. Next measure the height, width, and depth of the designated location in your kitchen, and compare it to the dimensions of the refrigeration unit.

It is a good idea to purchase a refrigerator that is roughly the same depth as your counter top to prevent the door from hitting every time you open it.

Capacity

When deciding on the refrigerator capacity needed for your home, you must consider your lifestyle, the size of your shopping trips, the size of your family, and how many people you feed on a regular basis. To feed a family of four the ideal refrigerator for your kitchen should range between 19 to 22 cubic-feet.

To help determine the ideal capacity for your home, you should figure 4 to 5 cubic-feet per adult in the household, plus a little extra storage space.

Organization

When looking at the interior layout and storage possibility for your refrigerator, it is important to keep in mind the foods you purchase on a regular basis. Make sure the refrigerator is equipped with several shelves, drawers, bins, and baskets.

A few key elements to look for:

• Easily customizable shelves

• Produce and deli drawers with temperature and humidity controls

• Spill-proof shelving to contain spills

Efficiency

Major appliance brands are “Going Green” with energy-efficient refrigerators. Almost all brand name appliance manufacturers offer Energy Star qualified refrigerators. Energy Star qualified appliances exceed federal energy consumption guidelines by at least 20-%, helping protect the environment and lower your energy bill.

Types of Refrigerators

There are four different types of refrigerators you can choose from style and convenience. Each style has its pros and cons.

Top Freezer

What is the first thing you picture when you hear the word refrigerator? The tradition top freezer with bottom fresh food compartment. This design is right for you if you are interested in an old school, traditional design that delivers efficient food preservation on a budget.

The average price of top freezer refrigerators ranges from $475 to $2,200.

Bottom-mount freezer

Bottom-mount freezer refrigerators are a nice, simple refrigeration unit that offer easier access to both your fresh and frozen foods. The design of these refrigerators is not much different from the top freezer refrigerators, the main difference is the freezer is on located below the fresh food compartment.

There is not a wide a variety of bottom mount freezers as there are top freezer, keeping the price range between $1000 up to $2,000.

Side-by-Side

Side-by-side refrigerators are great for people who are looking a beautiful unit that offers a number of advanced features. The side-by-side design splits your refrigerator right down the middle, leaving the right side designated for fresh foods and the left side for frozen items.

When looking at the array of side by side models available on the market, it is important you look at the size of each compartment. Some models provide an equal capacity for both the freezer and refrigeration cavities, while other models have a slightly large fresh food compartment. Models that offer a large refrigerator compartment tend to have a narrow freezer cavity.

You can find a side by side refrigerator within the price range of $1,100 to $3,000.

French Door

French door refrigerators are the most commonly purchased units today. Who would not love the sleek French doors that open wide exposing a large fresh food compartment and a pull-out drawer style freezer?

Due to the high demand for French door refrigerator models, manufacturers include a variety of features that enhance food preservation, food storage, and so much more.

The price range for French door refrigerators ranges from a $1,600 up to $8,000, depending on the model and design. Built-in counter-depth models tend to start around the $4,500 and up.

Features

Refrigerator manufacturers have made huge strides over the last several years. Modern refrigerators are no longer just an ice box to cool your food. Today you will find a variety of features that improve functionality, versatility, and efficiency.

The Most Common Features:

• Climate controlled drawers

• Frost-free technology

• Ice and water dispensers

• Automatic ice makers

• Noise reducing systems

• LED lighting

• Adjustable spill-proof shelving

• Energy Star technology

If you want more from your refrigerator, smart refrigerators offer intelligent features like LED displays to remind you to change the water filter, Wi-Fi, integrated speakers, and troubleshooting technologies.