These simple refrigerator maintenance tasks ensure your fridge uses as little energy as possible.

Looking forways to lower your electric bill?

Start bycleaning up your fridge.

stainless steel refrigerator in traditional kitchen with blue cabinets

Credit:Tria Giovan

Some of the maintenance tasks on this list are quick and easy, such as changing the water filter.

Regular fridge maintenancecan even make your refrigerator last longer.

Tria Giovan

1.

If not, prepare to be shocked.

This same dust eventually makes its way to the condenser coils and can block the airflow.

This will help prevent damage to the coil.

This condensation can lead to ice accumulation, which causes your fridge’s cooling components to work overtime.

Contact an appliance technician or tackle the job yourself to save even more money.

If you could easily move the paper back and forth, the seals could use a refresh.

Defrost the Fridge and Freezer

Most modern refrigerators have an automatic defrost.

For the most part, this system works well.

However, as refrigerators age, you might notice the ice beginning to accumulate.

This could be due to one or more of the parts in the automatic defrost setting being compromised.

When in doubt, manually defrost your fridge and freezer whenever ice approaches a quarter-inch thickness.

Adjust the Temperature

Adjusting your refrigerator and freezer temperatures to be colder than necessary uses significantly more energy.

When in doubt, adjust the refrigerator and freezer temperature parameters to match the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Positioning a refrigeratortoo close to a wall is a fire hazard.

When in doubt, space the sides and back of the appliance according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Adjust the Room Temperature

A refrigerator’s cooling system is designed to work efficiently in a home environment.

Evenif your refrigerator breaks, performing some of the items on this list may be enough to revive it.

9 Ways to Make Your Refrigerator More Efficient.