When choosing a refrigerator, it is important to assess your needs – Alkas.lt

A refrigerator is one of the most important home appliances. We open its doors several times a day, and without the function of the refrigerator and freezer to keep food fresh longer, we probably cannot imagine our daily life. With so many choices on the market today, finding the perfect refrigerator to suit your needs and space in your home can seem like a daunting task. Here are some tips to help you think through the essentials and make the right decision.

Before starting to consider various refrigerator options, Tomas Alešiūnas, representative of Samsung Electronics Baltics, advises to take some time to evaluate your needs.

“Consider the size of your household, your cooking habits and the amount of food you usually keep. Consider what size fridge and freezer capacity you need, what fridge features are important to you – the latest units feature a variety of technologies, such as water and ice dispensers, adjustable shelves, or a humidity control system for storing fresh fruit and vegetables,” advises T Alešiūnas.

Answer these questions – Do you need extra freezer space for bulk shopping? Are you an avid entertainer who needs plenty of room for party trays? Once you understand your needs, you can narrow down your options.

According to the specialist, refrigerators are divided into two types – free-standing and built-in. If you are changing the kitchen interior design and most of your household appliances are built-in, it is more convenient to choose a built-in refrigerator. Please note that built-in refrigerators have a smaller capacity compared to free-standing ones.

Also, refrigerators are divided according to the arrangement of their doors and refrigerator and freezer spaces.

Almost the most popular is the standard type of refrigerator – a single-door refrigerator with a freezer below. These refrigerators are perfect for households of 1-2 people who do not need to store large food stocks, or for those whose home kitchen is minimalistic and compact.

“Usually, the capacity of this type of refrigerators together with the freezer varies between 300-400 liters. This type of refrigerator is also perfect for those who cook in smaller quantities or often eat away from home,” says T. Alešiūnas.

On the other hand, if you have a large family, you cook often and a lot – it is worth considering other, larger refrigerator models. For example, Side by Side refrigerators have double doors and are characterized by non-standard dimensions.

“These models have an extremely large capacity: more than 400 l of refrigerator and 200 l of freezer area capacity. Among the “Side by Side” refrigerators, you can find models with 3 or 5 doors – the so-called “French” door refrigerators”, says the specialist.

In addition, before purchasing a refrigerator, T. Alešiūnas advises not to forget to find out which way the door opens. He also points out that many modern models of refrigerators are characterized by a changeable door opening direction.

The specialist notes that refrigerators are one of the household appliances that consume the most electricity.

“Because of their purpose, these devices need to be on all the time – they are constantly using energy to maintain the right temperature. Therefore, when choosing which refrigerator to buy, it is necessary to take into account the energy efficiency class of the device and additional energy-saving functions,” he says.

For example, the latest refrigerators from the technology company Samsung feature an AI Energy Mode function based on artificial intelligence. With this feature, you can predict and adjust your energy consumption, and energy saving is applied in two stages.

In the first stage, the refrigerator uses AI machine learning to identify new product introductions, predict and eliminate frost formation. In the second stage, energy saving is achieved by intelligent temperature control, regulating the temperature of the refrigerator and freezer within a certain range.

The refrigerator compressor has also been improved in the new models – the eighth generation compressor ensures more reliable, quieter operation and greater energy efficiency.

T. Alešiūnas adds that refrigerators are one of the longest-running devices in the house. A typical fridge-freezer has a lifespan of about 17 years.