Freezing is handy. Stiftung Warentest gives tips before the garden harvest, but the additional electricity costs are considerable even with good devices.
Freezing is convenient – supplies can be stored for months without significant loss of freshness. But if it needs to be “more”, for example the harvest from your own garden, the freezer compartment is no longer sufficient. Warentest examined eleven freezers, four chests, four large and three small cabinets.
A lot fits into chest freezers, they are the most economical with energy, but surprisingly quick freezing works less well with cupboards. They used to be the classic solution. The main disadvantage is the large space requirement. The cupboards can be high, but remain the same in terms of width and depth. The chests require more floor space and also free space at the top to open the flap. A typical location is the basement; you rarely see them in an apartment without a utility room. Only one scores with good. The Haier HCE321T costs 445 euros and convinces with good energy efficiency.
Tall cabinets most popular
Tall standing cabinets have a smaller capacity, many find that cabinets with drawers are more convenient to use than deep chests. All four devices perform well here, the grades are in the range of 2.1 to 2.3 – so they are very close together. The Bosch GSN36VLFP costs a whopping 745 euros and scores with the quick freeze function. Given the price, you can also check out the second-placed device. The Haier H2F-220WSAA model only costs 400 euros.
The small cabinets all have an energy efficiency problem. None is more than satisfactory. In front is the Ikea Djupfrysa for 380 euros. The small refrigerator from Bosch failed due to several defects. The small freezers play a subordinate role in the market, with customers usually preferring to use a combi-device when space is so small.
Cooling costs money
Energy efficiency is not that easy to understand. It is calculated based on the volume. From this point of view, the large chests are more efficient, even if in absolute terms they require more power than the small cabinets. This means that if you put a large chest in the basement, you should also use its capacity. Don’t underestimate the cost of electricity.
Refrigerators are among the biggest consumers in the household because they run non-stop. The Haier HCE321T chest consumes electricity for 64 euros a year, the large Bosch GSN36VLFP cabinet for as much as 88 euros and the small Ikea cabinet for 48 euros. These values are determined during optimal operation, if the doors are open more often, it can become significantly more expensive. Since the freezers are only an addition to another refrigerator, the “cooling costs” quickly come to 150 euros a year.
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