Spare fridges cost B.C. homes $34 million a year in electricity bills
VANCOUVER — BC Hydro estimates that there are secondary or spare fridges in nearly 40 per cent of homes throughout B.C. These unused or underused fridges cost homeowners more than $34 million a year in electricity costs.
Refrigerators are one of the most energy consuming appliances in a home, as they run 24 hours a day. One fridge alone costs customers up to $90 a year in electrical costs to use. Almost 380,000 B.C. households keep an extra fridge.
Through the Refrigerator Buy-Back program, BC Hydro is offering to collect and recycle spare fridges free-of-charge for residential customers, and rewards them for it. Customers can save the expense of recycling an old spare fridge, and receive a $30 credit on their electricity bill.
If all the secondary fridges in B.C. homes were recycled, there would be enough energy saved to power all the homes in a city the size of Chilliwack for an entire year.
The Refrigerator Buy-Back program has collected nearly 375,000 fridges since it began in 2003. To register for pickup, customers can complete the Fridge Buy-Back application online.