Refrigerator: Switch it on or off?

The last electricity bill that that I received for the period 13 March 2013 to 12 April 2013 had the number of units consumed as 221 and accordingly the amount charged was Rs. 5,917.80 including fixed charge and the fuel adjustment charge.

Based on the new revised tariff, the corresponding cost for the above number of units will be Rs. 8,359.40 for the current month – a substantial increase of Rs. 2,441.60 provided the meter reader visits my house not later than 11 May.

In order to bring down the cost of electricity, a relative of mine suggested that I switch off the refrigerator during the night time and switch it on in the morning. His rationale was that the refrigerator door will not be opened during this time and hence the coolness will somewhat remain stable even after the electricity supply is disconnected. But a friend of mine recommends that I switch it off during the daytime, which will then include the peak hours as well in order to make a sizeable saving on my electricity bill.

I wonder whether the saving on/switching off the fridge will be offset by the power consumed to restart the cooling process which I have heard requires considerable electrical energy. Also, my worry is that whether in the long run it will damage the compressor and net result will not be a saving but an additional expense to either repair or replace the compressor.

Over to the electrical engineers for their valuable comments – whether it is alright for consumers to intermittently switch on and switch off the fridge to effect a saving on the electricity consumed.

Mohamed Zahran

Colombo 3