Story Published:
Sep 22, 2009 at 6:30 PM CDT
Story Updated:
Sep 22, 2009 at 6:30 PM CDT
Freezer sales are heating up. No doubt, higher food prices could explain the jump, according to the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers.
Consumer Reports tested 21 freezers. There are two types -- uprights and chests. To see how much energy they use, testers turn the room temperature up to 90° F. Then they set the freezers to zero degrees, the optimum temperature for storing frozen food, and fill each freezer to capacity.
The $750 Haier HUF138EA freezer had some problems. It couldn't quite make it to 0° F in Consumer Reports' energy tests. And even worse, the two tested models used much more energy than any of the other freezers we tested. Therefore, Consumer Reports says Don't Buy the Haier HUF138EA.
Another test showed that many of the manual-defrost upright freezers don't cool all that evenly. Consumer Reports found temperatures up to 19 degrees higher on the door shelves than in the rest of the freezer.
The self-defrosting uprights aced the temperature tests. The $600 Whirlpool EV161NZR(Q) is a Consumer Reports Best Buy. The Kenmore model 1692 chest freezer is also good choice at $280, though you do have to defrost it.
Consumer Reports says chest freezers have advantages. While you will have to manually defrost most of them, chest freezers cost less, use less energy, and stay colder longer in a power outage.
