Fridges & Freezers

Around 87% of people in the UK own a fridge, which makes it the second most owned household appliance after washing machines. It's therefore disappointing that no brands score very highly in this shopping guide, with only one scoring more than 40 (out of 100). 

Despite that, there are a couple of brands who are making energy efficient fridge-freezers, and although you may not be looking for a green fridge for colour, there are some features to look out for (or avoid), particularly if you want to be as eco as possible and save energy. 

Which fridge brands are in the eco shopping guide?

We rate and review 40 brands of fridge-freezers, from the bestsellers like Hotpoint and Indesit (both owned by Whirlpool) to Samsung, Siemens and Smeg.

We look at their commitment to energy efficiency and workers' rights, as well as revealing which companies have links to military supply. We also compare running and lifetime costs, and length of warranties.

We highlight ways to make your current fridge-freezer as energy efficient as possible, and how to make best use of them to cut down on food waste.

We also look at the implications of the rise in side-by-side 'American style' fridge-freezers particularly for energy use.

Should I replace my fridge?

An inefficient fridge freezer will use a lot more energy compared to other appliances because it is on all the time, unlike a washing machine or dishwasher. More efficient models are becoming available all the time, so the investment in a new one may be worthwhile. 

If your fridge is over 10 years old or you have a separate fridge and freezer, it may be cheaper overall to buy new when running costs are factored in.

If replacing your fridge, see the section later on fridge recycling and disposal for how to get rid of your old model, and the cost and energy comparison table for new ones.

Which fridge brands have the most energy efficient fridges?

It’s worth having an energy efficient fridge freezer as it’s switched on for 24 hours a day. The energy label that is displayed by law on every fridge freezer shows you how many kWh of energy it should use per year. Appliances are also rated A-G, to show their energy efficiency relative to their size.

When we previously reviewed fridges in 2021, only LG appeared to make an A-rated fridge freezer (under the new rating scheme which had been brought in). 

This year, we found 10 brands with A-rated models: 

• Bosch
• Grundig
• Haier
• Hisense
• Kenwood
• LG
• Liebherr
• Miele
• Samsung
• Siemens

We also found an overall increase in fridge freezers rated in the higher bands A-C. 

But some brands unfortunately don’t seem to put much effort into energy efficiency. 

Amica and CDA did not make it possible for you to search their products by energy label, neither did Belling, Flavel, Hoover, Smeg, Stoves, and TCL.

The websites of AEG, Bush, Montpellier and Zanussi only showed models rated E or below.

And three of the most popular brands had no A-rated fridge freezers at all: Beko, Hotpoint, and Indesit (both Whirlpool).

Best fridge freezer brands for energy efficient models

Only Grundig, LG, Liebherr, Miele, and Siemens had at least 25% of their fridge freezer models rated A-C. 

Grundig, Liebherr, and Miele scored best as they did not lose points for having more high energy American-style models than ordinary models rated A-C.

Worst fridge freezer brands for energy efficient models

Some brands only had models with energy labels of E or below. These were: 

• AEG
• Bush
• Candy
• Electrolux
• Fisher & Paykel
• Fridgemaster
• Indesit
• Logik
• Montpellier
• Russell Hobbs
• Sharp
• Whirlpool
• Zanussi

And incredibly, some companies are still using the old-style energy labels that should have been updated in 2021: Gorenje and KitchenAid.

Do American-style wide fridge freezers use more energy?

According to Which?, “the average American-style fridge freezer uses 44% more energy ... than a free-standing fridge freezer”. This is partly because the freezer is on one side, rather than being below the fridge, and the compressor has to work harder to keep it cool.

Although you can buy an American-style fridge freezer with a relatively good energy label, as energy labels are worked out in relation to size, you should always compare the kWh on the labels to get the most accurate comparison between different appliances. 

If a brand displayed more American-style fridge freezers than ordinary fridge freezers with A-C energy labels, it lost points on our table.

AEG and Bush were also among those which displayed more American-style fridge freezers than A-C rated ordinary models. A fridge freezer this large is usually not needed, uses more energy due to the position of its parts, and is more expensive to buy and run.

However, even LG which was one of the highest scoring brands, had more American-style models than ordinary models rated A-C. In fact it had the most of any brand we covered, 44 American-style models, which was more than all its other models combined.

Which brands have the most A-rated models and American-style fridge freezers?

All models found on company websites, except Kenwood found on Currys. All viewed in April 2024.
n/a = not applicable (the brand did not sell this type of appliance)
Where there was an option, we chose free-standing models rather than integrated (built-in) models.

Are French-door style fridge freezers more efficient than American style?

A growing trend in fridges is to have the top half as double doors for the fridge, hence being called 'French-door' style, and the bottom half as a single door for the freezer. (Occasionally it may be the other way round, with the freezer on top.)

As noted above, a freezer below the fridge is better for energy saving. If you are comparing French-door styles against American style, these should be more energy efficient, but check the overall size in kWh and the energy efficiency rating. 

What is the best size fridge freezer?

Companies sell the idea of ‘more for less’ – but what about less for even less? Whether we all need huge shiny fridges with water coolers and double doors is questionable, and a smaller energy-efficient model will still be much cheaper and have less carbon impact than a larger energy-efficient model.

As well as what can physically fit in your kitchen and what you can afford, factors such as average cooking habits, how often you shop, household size, and what kind of food you buy should all feed in to what size makes the most sense for you.

If you live alone versus a multi-generational household of nine, different-sized fridge freezers will be needed.

If you do small and regular food shopping trips from locally accessible shops, and you grow some of your own food, you could get by with a smaller sized fridge-freezer. A larger fridge might make sense for others without these options.

Recycling and disposing of fridges

If you are getting rid of your old fridge, some companies will collect your old appliance at the same time as delivering your new fridge, usually for a fee. Other options include taking it to your local recycling centre (if you have the means to), or local council collection for recycling.

The government website contains a useful search tool for finding your local council collection service.

Many components in fridges can be recycled, including steel, copper, aluminium, and plastic, and the refrigerant gas can be recovered.

From 2026, the government will impose regulations for retailers to implement and fund improvements in recycling of electronic goods with the aim of making it easier for consumers to return goods to be recycled.

If your fridge is still in working order, some charities, including the British Heart Foundation, have home clearance services to collect your household items for free – including fridges for donation. (Check our mini guide to charities to find one you are happy to support.)

Food waste, larders, and living fridge-free

The ability to preserve food can be everything from convenient to lifesaving, as well as saving on waste. Many people in the UK have found themselves unable to afford to have their fridge freezers plugged in for 24 hours a day, with the Guardian reporting millions of people in the UK unplugging fridges as they were unable to afford the bills.

Household fridges and freezers are a relatively new invention, though we have now become reliant on them. 

Traditionally, larders were purpose-built on outside walls and with slate shelves for the cold storage of food. Many have now been ripped out, though it can sometimes be possible to restore them to their original purpose.

Though not possible for all, cold cupboards can be another alternative. This involves piping cold air from outside into an insulated cupboard.

Fridges and freezers can help to extend the lifetime of food, thus helping to reduce food waste, as hopefully it will be eaten before it goes off. 

However, buying habits play a large part in household food waste. Despite most of us using fridges, Wrap estimates that households are responsible for 4.7 tonnes of food waste annually, worth £17bn. 

Climate impact of fridges and freezers

Companies reported that their largest carbon emissions came from the energy consumption from the use of
their products, with the figure ranging from between 80% to 90% of total emissions (e.g. Miele 83%, Currys
85%, and Bosch 90%). We therefore expected to see companies addressing these impacts.

Miele was the only company to score 100 for climate. Its sustainability reporting included a detailed discussion
about the energy efficiency of its products, and it says that it spends 50% of its Research & Development budget on energy and resource conservation. It also only uses renewable energy. 

Bosch scored fairly well and included a detailed discussion on its main impacts including energy efficiency, though its reporting did include some dodgy claims such as carbon neutral business air travel.

Smeg participated in the Carbon Disclosure Project for the first time in 2021, with an update in 2022, signalling its commitment to transparency. Overall, it scored around average due to its lack of a science-based target for emissions reductions and lack of credible discussion about how it was going to reduce its impacts.

Samsung was among the bottom scorers with zero points. It doesn’t have a science-based target and its heavy involvement in coal and other fossil fuels lost any points it had. Samsung has been named along with Amazon as among the biggest carbon polluters in big tech. As well as financing $14bn of coal projects between 2010 and 2020, it only restricts its investments for companies with 30% of revenue from coal mining and power, and it underwrites the insurance for major coal power plants in Korea according to Insure Our Future.

Refrigerant gases

When chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were banned in 1987, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) took over as the gas used in refrigeration, heat pumps, and air conditioning. But, the Climate and Clean Air Coalition estimates that the most abundant HFC “warms the planet 3,790 times as much as CO2 over a 20-year period”.

HFCs have been banned in new domestic fridges and freezers in the EU since 2015. Less harmful alternatives are used, mainly the hydrocarbon isobutane (R-600a) but also propane (R-290), ammonia (R-717), water, and carbon dioxide (CO2 or R-744). Following mammoth industry lobbying, HFCs were not totally banned in the EU in 2015 and can still be used for commercial refrigeration, air conditioners and insulating foam. They are still allowed to be used in the EU with a phase down of 79% by 2030 and phase out by 2050.

Outside of the EU, HFCs may still be used in both domestic and commercial fridges and freezers. As of 2019, the Kigali amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer came into force and approved a timeline for their gradual reduction by 80-85% by 2047. 158 countries signed the United Nations treaty.

So, companies in this guide may still be making HFC fridges and freezers for sale outside of the EU. Unfortunately, companies did not discuss HFCs in their sustainability reporting.
 

Warranties

Warranties can include standard manufacturer’s warranties as well as service warranties which include labour. Check the exact terms and conditions to be sure what is included. Most companies require registration of the product, usually done online through an account, in order for the warranty to be valid, or extended. Most companies also offer extended warranties for an extra fee, which we have not included here.

* 2 years labour and 5 years parts
**1 year labour, 5 years parts
***1 year labour and 10 years parts
****1 year labour and 5 years parts

Where a range is listed, this is because different fridge models may come with different warranties, or there is an additional warranty period after registering.

Cost comparison of fridge freezers

We looked at the purchase price (excluding discounted products) and running costs of some of the most popular brands of fridge freezers. For each brand, we chose the model with the highest energy efficiency.

When we last looked at running costs using electricity this was on average 15p/kWh (2021); this has nearly doubled to 24.5p/kWh as of April 2024. This is why looking at not only the energy efficiency rating but also total kWh energy use of a fridge freezer is important. 

Although more energy efficient models cost more up front, it is possible to find ones whose lifetime costs work out cheaper, see Bosch vs AEG for example. To do this calculation yourself, look up the kWh per year figure, multiply it by 0.245 (this is the price in £ per kWh per year), multiply this new figure by 14 (average 14 year lifetime of fridge freezer), and add the result to the purchase price.

As a general rule, ‘American-style’ fridge freezers are the most expensive to run, followed by free-standing and then integrated models.

As well as the energy-efficiency class (A-G), the energy label also lists how many kWh of electricity an appliance uses per year (kWh/annum), the volume of freezer space and of chilled space, and how noisy it is. To use the least energy, the kWh figure is the most important one to compare.

p/a = per annum
*using the assumption of the UK average electricity cost of 24.50p/kWh.
**using the assumption that the average lifetime of a fridge freezer is around 14 years and the cost of electricity remains the same.

Conflict minerals

Traditional ‘conflict minerals’ (3TG: tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold), and other high-impact minerals, such as cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and rare earth minerals are used in electronic components and are also critical to the energy and digital transition. Although a circular economy and recycled minerals have an important role in reducing overall demand, primary extraction of minerals will continue.

Most of these minerals are found in vulnerable regions where workers’ rights and environmental protections are weak: for example, several countries in South America and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa. The global minerals trade has funded human rights abuses and armed conflict for decades in some of these countries. Deep seabed mining is also being pursued by some companies.

To protect people and the environment in their mineral supply chain, it is essential that companies put in ‘due diligence’ measures. This is what our conflict mineral rating assesses.

Which fridge brands score best and worst for conflict minerals?

Top scorers for their policies on conflict minerals included LG and Samsung, followed by AB Electrolux (AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi) and Sainsbury’s (Bush). 

However, several brands have no conflict mineral policy at all. These are:

• Amica (CDA)
• Glen Dimplex (Belling, LEC, New World, Stoves)
• Hisense (Fridgemaster, Gorenje)
• Liebherr
• Montpellier

Vestel (UK manufacturer of Sharp home appliances) requires its suppliers not to source conflict minerals from the DRC, which is the opposite of what Ethical Consumer expects from companies, as support for improvements in the region are critical.

Smeg has a vague, inadequate attempt to collect information from its suppliers on conflict minerals.

Workers' rights in the white goods industry

The workers column sees the majority of brands scoring zero or close to it. 

Unlike some other sectors, there is perhaps less awareness of the kinds of working conditions of those in the white goods supply chain, therefore companies may face less pressure to be transparent.

One whistleblower in Vietnam claims that Samsung knowingly exposed toxic chemicals to workers as well as operating environmentally hazardous facilities without wastewater treatment tanks, instead discharging chemically contaminated water directly into a nearby river.

In its 2020 report ‘Uyghurs for sale’, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute named Electrolux, Haier, Hisense, Sharp and Siemens, as being among 82 companies potentially benefiting from the use of Uyghur workers in China through abusive labour programmes.

Although it still scored zero overall, Whirlpool Corporation’s supplier code of conduct includes a clause specifically on women’s' rights and pregnancy, where it prohibits the use of forced contraception and states that work should not be based on pregnancy tests. It’s devastating to think that such policies are needed.

Electronics Watch published its updated worker-driven remedy principles in October 2023 for workers in electronics supply chains, which was developed alongside trade unions and labour rights organisations. It acts as a guidance document and highlights the need for worker-driven processes in remediation of harm caused to workers in supply chains.

Is your fridge supporting the military?

Most of us don’t think of whether we’re financing companies producing military equipment whilst choosing what to keep our dinner leftovers in. But we found the following companies had military involvement:

Bosch claims that its parts were "misused" by the Russian military against Ukraine for its infantry vehicles. Bosch then suspended its business with Russia. Bosch also owns NEFF and Gaggenau.

Shenzhen Zhongke Haixin Technology, a subsidiary of Hisense (Fridgemaster, Gorenje, Hisense) was, in 2023, named by the Center for Security and Emerging Technology as having three defence contracts with the Chinese military. It was one of the only two companies to have been awarded more than one contract and was named as one of the “Key Chinese Military AI Suppliers”.

Investor AB, which holds a 28% stake in AB Electrolux (AEG, Electrolux, Zanussi), also owns 40% of shares in Saab AB. Saab produces equipment for ground combat, submarines, and air ‘fighter systems’ for military defence.

Koç Holding (Beko, Blomberg, Flavel, Grundig) owns Otokar, a military vehicle manufacturer for the Turkish Armed Forces and other state militaries. There is more detail on the Turkey-Kurdish conflict in our washing machine guide.

Liebherr has a page on its website called ‘Liebherr military cranes’ which are described as "armoured cranes for worldwide military use."

According to Samsung its mobile solutions “transform how military personnel accomplish their missions”. It produces ‘tactical edition’ mobile devices designed for military personnel as well as operating a mobile platform “trusted by military forces and government bodies worldwide”.

Siemens provides technology services designed for the US Department of Defense. This includes "Deploying the
world’s largest industrial digital twin to optimise U.S. Navy shipyards".

Zorlu (Sharp) owns a subsidiary called Lentatek (was Vestel Defense), which has provided automated aerial vehicles for the Saudi and Turkish militaries.

Palestinian boycott of Siemens

The leading authority on which brands to boycott in support of Palestinian rights is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) National Committee, also known as the BNC.

The BNC has called for a boycott of Siemens since 2022 for its contract to connect Israel’s electricity grid with the EU’s, under the EuroAsia Interconnector project. The boycott call says, “if implemented as planned, [it] will contribute to the maintenance and expansion of Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied Palestinian territory” and that the settlements “have been condemned as a flagrant violation of international law in resolutions by the UN and the EU”.

Take Action: Email Siemens

If you want to take action, there’s a template letter on the BNC website for explaining why you’re boycotting Siemens.  

Supplying trains to the Israeli state 

Siemens has also been highlighted by Who Profits, which claims that it supports Israeli apartheid through its contracts with Israeli Railways, which is owned by the Israeli state. While experts and several governments accuse Israel of committing genocide, Siemens looks set to continue delivering train carriages to Israel.

No freedom of movement for Palestinians

According to the organisation B’Tselem, “Restricting movement is one of the main tools Israel employs to enforce its regime of occupation. Israel imposes restrictions on the movement of Palestinians within the West Bank, and travel between it and the Gaza Strip, into East Jerusalem, Israel, and abroad. When travel permits are required by Israel, they are given through a lengthy, non-transparent, and arbitrary bureaucratic process.”

Both Israelis and Palestinians consider Jerusalem to be their capital. While Israeli citizens can easily travel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem using Israel Railways, many Palestinians in places like Bethlehem haven’t been able to visit Jerusalem for years, or ever, despite Bethlehem being far closer geographically to Jerusalem than Tel Aviv is.

Siemens responded to Who Profits by saying, “An internal and external legal review at the time [of agreeing to work with Israel Railways] came to the conclusion that this transaction was in line with our human rights due diligence obligations.”