Article of the Week

Now that it's summer, most of us start thinking about 
keeping our electric bill in bounds! 

One way to do that is to  keep your refrigerator and 
freezer, if you have one, running efficiently. 

Be sure to vacuum the condenser coils on your refrigerator
 at least once a year.  You may have to 
pull your appliance out from the wall to do this, 
but when the coils are dusty, it keeps the fridge from 
cooling efficiently. 

If you have an older fridge, check the door gaskets to 
make sure you have a tight seal and aren't losing cold 
air around the doors. 

Another "small" thing you can do:  when you are putting 
away your groceries after a trip to the store, gather all 
your items for the fridge in one place.  Then you can open 
the refrigerator one time and put everything inside. 

If you don't have a frost-free freezer and there's more 
than 1/2 inch of frost built up, it's time to defrost. 
You can speed up the process by setting pans of hot water 
inside.  Never use a knife to try to dislodge the frost 
and never use a hair dryer to melt it.  Water and 
electricity do not mix! 

Now that it's clean and defrosted, keep your freezer 
efficient by filling empty spaces with old milk jugs 
filled with water.  These jugs also make good ice 
blocks for your picnic cooler! 

Another good use for these jugs of ice:  set one on the 
kitchen counter in the morning.  As the ice melts, 
your children can have ice water to drink without 
opening the refrigerator door. 

One last thing to remember, when there's lightning 
around, it might be safer to just unplug your 
fridge and freezer.  Food in the freezer will stay 
frozen for up to 48 hours if the door is kept closed. 
Food in the refreigerator will keep up to 24 hours. 

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