Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter – Solar, Wind, Biofuels & More

There’s a number of methods of refrigeration for the off gridder. Some are more efficient than others, so I’ll attempt to provide the options, and the pro’s and con’s of each.

Standard house fridge:

This is your typical electric fridge, found at any home improvement store. The Energy Star versions are very efficient, and typically consume about 1 kWh / day, depending on size. A 2000+ watt inverter is often necessary to handle start up loads. These fridges have are fairly noisy, compared to other types. These can cost several hundred dollars or more depending on size.

Absorption propane / electric RV fridge:

Propane fridges are very common in both the RV, and the off grid environment. Although they often can run on electric as well, they are quite inefficient in this mode, and if run on propane, require combustion of an expensive fossil fuel, but one that stores almost indefinitely. Many off gridders start with this method until enough solar can be installed to run a normal fridge. Quieter than a compressor fridge, some make virtually no noise (pilot light), others have a tic tic ignition and a whoosh of the flame. Air quality and humidity are a concern in unvented applications, in propane mode. These units are commonly in the $1000 range.

Solid State Peltier Fridge:

These small units really are more of a cooler, and are big energy hogs. They are typically electrically reversible, so can also be used to heat food. Very quiet, the fan is the only moving part. They run on dc, so no inverter necessary, just direct connection to battery. They typically cost about the same as a similarly sized dorm fridge, around $100 or so.

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