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Refrigerator repair or replace calculator

A refrigerator should last between 8 and 18 years.

But, once the refrigerator starts having problems, then it is the time to consider if it is worth to repair it or if it would be better to buy a new one.

refrigerator repair or replace

To help you, the information that we are sharing on this page should help you to make an informed decision.

TABLE OF CONTENTS – QUICK NAVIGATION

1. Refrigerator replace or repair – Saving on electricity

1.1. Simple refrigerator repair or replace calculator

2. Refrigerator replace or repair – Life expectancy and disposal cost

2.1. Refrigerator life expectancy

2.2. Refrigerator disposal cost

2.3. Expanded refrigerator replace or repair calculator

3. Conclusions

Refrigerator replace or repair - Saving on electricity

The electricity usage of the refrigerator it is the first parameter to consider before making the ‘Repair Vs Replace’ decision.

This is because the newer refrigerator models are much more efficient than refrigerators from 8, 10 or 12 years ago and their electricity usage is much lower.

And it may worth to but an energy efficient refrigerator that is going to save money on electricity year over year, rather than paying and expensive repair bill for an old model refrigerator.

For the new refrigerator models, it is quite straightforwards to find the electricity usage and the electricity cost. 

In most cases, it is possible to find the refrigerator energy efficiency label on the shops, displayed on the appliance, or by browsing for them on the internet.

refrigerator power consumption

Once we know the power consumption per year, and how much we are paying to our electricity provider per kWh, it is quite simple to find out the electricity cost.

 
  
For example:
– If the refrigerator is using 389 kWh of electricity per year
– If the user is paying 0,217 euro, dollars, pounds… per kWh
– The yearly electricity cost of the refrigerator is a little over 84 euro, dollar, pounds…
But for older refrigerator models, it may take a few more steps to find the electricity usage and electricity cost.
Still, even for older refrigerator models, the power consumption must be displayed on a label attached to the device. And, usually, the power consumption of older refrigerator models will be displayed in Watts.
But once we know the power consumption, it is also quite simple to find out the electricity usage.
 
  
For example:
– If the refrigerator is using 250 Watts of electricity per day
– If the user is paying 0,217 euro, dollars, pounds… per kWh
– The yearly electricity cost of the refrigerator is nearly 20 euro, dollar, pounds…
If on an old refrigerator you are not able to find any label displaying the power consumption, you may be interested on learning how to measure the power consumption using a plug in power meter.
 Plug in power meter
      How to measure electricity usage with a plug in power meter  
Simple refrigerator repair or replace calculator
From the electricity usage standpoint, the calculator below can help you with making the decision between replace and repair.
But, in short:
– If the repair cost is medium or high, most probably it is worth to replace a refrigerator. The only exceptions would be if the electricity usage is very low or the life expectancy is low.
– If the repair cost is low most probably it is worth to repair the refrigerator. The only exception would be if the electricity usage is very high or the life expectancy is very low.
– There are some grey areas in between, but the calculator below should allow you to make an informed decision.
 
  
As show on the calculator, to buy a new refrigerator it does cost a considerable amount of money, but:
– The cost of NOT repairing the old refrigerator can be deducted from the cost of purchasing a new refrigerator, and that can already decrease the new refrigerator purchase cost considerably.
– As a new and more efficient refrigerator is going to save electricity and water, this saving should be considered and deducted from the new refrigerator purchase cost. 
– And, going further, the new refrigerator will be saving electricity and water for many years to come, so in the calculator we are taking the electricity and water savings for a 10 year time period.
Refrigerator replace or repair - Life expectancy and disposal cost
But there are two other importance factors that also need to be taken in consideration, and it is the life expectancy of the appliance.
Refrigerator life expectancy
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, a refrigerator should last between 8 and 18 years. 
But, in this matter, the refrigerator type and model are differentiating factors that will determine how long the refrigerator last.
When it comes to the refrigerator type:
– Standard refrigerators have an average lifespan of 13 years
– Compact refrigerators have an average lifespan of 9 years
When it comes to the refrigerator model:
– Cheaper comes with the quality downside and the refrigerators tend to have more problems and have a lower life span.
– Some refrigerator models are prone to problems, so it is worth to make some good research to avoid troublesome refrigerators that may need to be changed in just a handful of years.
Refrigerator disposal cost
An the disposal cost must not be forgotten, because the cost can be significant:
– To dispose a refrigerator can cost between 50 to 150 euros or US dollars.
If the refrigerator starts giving problems, even if they are small, it may be worth to sell it as a second hand appliance than waiting for it to break.
 refrigerator second hand
Not only you will get some cash from the old refrigerator, but also you will save on disposal costs.
And that money that you are earning and saving, can be used to decrease the cost of buying a new refrigerator.
Expanded refrigerator repair or replace calculator
On the expanded calculator we also consider the refrigerator disposal cost and the value of the old fridge when sold on the second hand market.
Here we are assuming that you have decided to sell your old refrigerator on the second hand market and you are going to get some cash out of it.
Also, once sold on the second hand market, someone will come to collect it and that you will be saving have to pay for disposal if you wait for the old fridge to break down. 
 
  
So, according to our calculator, a new refrigerator does cost 850 euro, dollars, pounds… but we applying the following savings:
– Money saved by not repair the old refrigerator.
– Money saved by the new refrigerator on electricity over a ten years period.
– Money earned by selling the old refrigerator on the second hand market.
– Money saved by not having to pay disposal costs
Then the purchase cost of the new refrigerator is reduced from 850 to 60 euro, dollars, pounds…
Consider the worst case scenario, in which you pay for the old refrigerator repairs and after one or two years it breaks down for good.
Then, you will need to pay for the old fridge disposal and still have to buy a new refrigerator.
Conclusion
It depends on the individual circumstances but it may be worth to replace an old refrigerator  before it breaks or starts giving trouble.
If the repair cost is very high and the refrigerator is close to its average life expectancy, most probably it would be a better approach to buy a new one.
We hope that our calculators will support you with making a decision.
For more information the electricity usage of a refrigerator or how to find out the power consumption, visit our ‘Fridge electricity calculator’ page by clicking on the image below.
  Fridge electricity usage calculator icon 
Fridge electricity calculator
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