Smart AND beautiful: new fridges score double points

Worldwide, households are rejoicing: the smart fridge is finally here! Do smart fridges make dinner, notify you when the milk needs replacing, or keep a grocery list? 

Well, no. But they will save you money. And that’s nearly as good. 

Refrigerators are big energy suckers and account for 36% of electricity consumed by all domestic appliances. But if a fridge gets a brain, it will know when to adjust power use to match needs of the grid without us having to lift a finger. 

Energy efficient refrigeration can use up to 70% less energy than existing, less efficient models. By redistributing the energy load more evenly, extra power stations won’t be needed to keep the grid stable, allowing more opportunity to use alternative energy sources.

Say it’s time to defrost the fridge. The fridge will do it for you, and save money by delaying the task from happening during peak energy usage hours. So you’ll pay for the same amount of energy at a lower rate later in the day. And your fridge will defrost itself while you’re in bed watching the Late Show.

But wait! There’s more! 

Smart fridges have cousins and cute brothers that will also be joining the party. Soon, smart washers, dryers, dishwashers and ranges will be available, complete with displays that notify users of rate changes and critical peak pricing to avoid energy use at those times. 

“Sorry dear, dinner is late because the stove won’t turn on.”

Pretty cool.