When buying a freezer you should consider your shopping habits and the size of your household. You should also make sure that the freezer is energy efficient so you do not run up unnecessarily high electricity bills. The most energy efficient freezers use less than 25% of energy compared to freezers 15 years ago.

Cooling agent
CFC gas used to be the cooling agent used in most freezers though it is no longer used since leaks are harmful to the ozone layer. Other gases that do not interfere with the ozone layer are frequently used though these contribute to global warming instead. An increasing number of manufacturers are using natural gases as cooling agents such as Isobutene (R600A). Natural gases are better from an environmental point of view since they have no harmful effects on neither the ozone layer or on global warming.

Energy Labelling
All freezers have to be labelled with the ratio of energy consumption in relation to volume. Look out for Energy Efficiency ratings ranging from A to G where A is the most efficient.

Size
Size depends on where you are going to store the freezer and how much storage space you need inside it. You should try to estimate how much space you need in the freezer based on what you currently store and what you would like to store in addition to that. Try not to buy too big a freezer since any wasted space incurs unnecessary energy expenditure.

Freezing Capacity
This is an indication of the amount the freezer can freeze per 24 hours, usually shown in kilograms.

Temperature
Freezers keep food at 18C ° and fast freeze at 26C°. Fast freezing is the optimum freezing temperature for fresh food to retain most of its nutritional value. It is important to keep the freezer temperature constant in order not to increase energy expenditure - every degree below - 18°C increases energy expenditure by 5%.

What do I do with my old freezer?
Ask you local council for details of how to depose an old freezer. If you have an old freezer it may contain CFC gases that are harmful and the freezer should be destroyed accordingly.