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Is a Full Freezer More Energy Efficient Than an Empty Freezer?
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:35 pm
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:35 pm
And if so, how much?
I've always wondered.
I've always wondered.
19
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:36 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
What kind of freezer?
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:36 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
I feel like it would depend on your definition of full, but the answer is yes.
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:37 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
quote:I would think so due to the frozen items helping to cool it
Is a Full Freezer More Energy Efficient Than an Empty Freezer?
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:37 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
No
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:38 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
I always freeze gallons of water before a hurricane to preserve what I have in there for a bit; like an ice box. But, yeah, I'm not sure if that keeps it colder more efficiently after or it takes more energy to keep it frozen. 
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:38 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Full would be more efficient
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:42 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
More efficient
With frozen stuff in the freezer the freezer itself doesn't have as much dead space to keep cold.
An empty fridge/freezer is expensive.
With frozen stuff in the freezer the freezer itself doesn't have as much dead space to keep cold.
An empty fridge/freezer is expensive.
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:48 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Full freezer is more efficient, the frozen items retain their temperature and help cool the air and newer items that are out in it.
And whoever made the statement about bacteria breaking down and releasing heat, that's about as wrong as wrong can get.
And whoever made the statement about bacteria breaking down and releasing heat, that's about as wrong as wrong can get.
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:50 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Full freezer is more efficient.
Predict 40+ pages
Predict 40+ pages
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:53 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
This sounds like an excellent Science Fair project. Fwiw
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:53 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Very slightly more efficient, yes. Simply because the temperature inside is more stable so the number of cooling cycles decrease (though it has to run longer to cool all the mass back down when the cycle starts). But the heat loss is the same regardless of what is in there so the savings is tiny. The other advantage of being full is it will last longer in an outage. We were without power for a day and a half this winter in a storm and didn't lose anything from either freezer.
Posted on 4/17/14 at 12:56 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Yes.
When you open a freezer, heat enters due to cold air leaving and "hot" air entering. By maximizing volume of stuff in freezer, you minimize the volume that must be made up by air.
If you don't open it often, the full freezer maintains it temperature longer. When it does get warm enough to make the compressor run, the compressor has to run longer to cool the full freezer down than it would for an empty freezer.
But it is more efficient for a compressor to run for a long time but only a few times a day, than to run for a short time but several times a day.
As far as quantifying this...any undergrad MEs in this thread?
When you open a freezer, heat enters due to cold air leaving and "hot" air entering. By maximizing volume of stuff in freezer, you minimize the volume that must be made up by air.
If you don't open it often, the full freezer maintains it temperature longer. When it does get warm enough to make the compressor run, the compressor has to run longer to cool the full freezer down than it would for an empty freezer.
But it is more efficient for a compressor to run for a long time but only a few times a day, than to run for a short time but several times a day.
As far as quantifying this...any undergrad MEs in this thread?
Posted on 4/17/14 at 1:08 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Well the answer is different based on when...
1st Law of Thermodynamics states that energy/heat flows in one direction from hot to cold. So for a freezer, energy is used to cool the inside by drawing heat out.
Thus, the full freezer is less efficient compared to an empty freezer when the stuff in the freezer is not frozen because excess energy is needed to draw to heat out of the contents inside the freezer.
However, when the contents inside the freezer are frozen (same temp. as the setting of the freezer), the full freezer is more efficient because if you introduce heat (like opening the freezer) the heat is absorbed by contents, therefore the freezer has to use less energy to draw the heat out.
1st Law of Thermodynamics states that energy/heat flows in one direction from hot to cold. So for a freezer, energy is used to cool the inside by drawing heat out.
Thus, the full freezer is less efficient compared to an empty freezer when the stuff in the freezer is not frozen because excess energy is needed to draw to heat out of the contents inside the freezer.
However, when the contents inside the freezer are frozen (same temp. as the setting of the freezer), the full freezer is more efficient because if you introduce heat (like opening the freezer) the heat is absorbed by contents, therefore the freezer has to use less energy to draw the heat out.
Posted on 4/17/14 at 1:18 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
The specific heat (heat capacity per unit mass) of solids and liquids is much greater than that of air. Everything else being equal, there is a greater initial cost to remove the heat from the items in a full freezer.
Once everything cools down, it won't take any more energy to maintain a full freezer at temperature than it takes to maintain an empty freezer at temperature. The heat gain through the freezer's insulation is the same in either case.
Is a full freezer more energy efficient than a empty freezer?
Once everything cools down, it won't take any more energy to maintain a full freezer at temperature than it takes to maintain an empty freezer at temperature. The heat gain through the freezer's insulation is the same in either case.
Is a full freezer more energy efficient than a empty freezer?
Posted on 4/17/14 at 1:41 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Is the freezer on a treadmill?
Posted on 4/17/14 at 1:48 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
If it's never opened, probably not a whole lot of difference. But a freezer that is opened regularly, full freezer definitely is more effecienct. The mass of food inside will hold the temperature better than the air when the doors are open and all the heat gets in.
This post was edited on 4/17/14 at 1:49 pm
Posted on 4/17/14 at 2:06 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Frozen items help stabilize internal air temperatures better, but freezer is used more.
Lack of frozen items means more fluctuations could occur if opened, but one need not open the freezer as regularly because there is nothing inside.
Difference = negligible!
But, since we live in a state that is prone to storms and power outages, if you have a near-empty freezer and want to make sure you can keep your frozen goods cold, it's a good idea to put water in plastic containers and fill in those void spaces!
Lack of frozen items means more fluctuations could occur if opened, but one need not open the freezer as regularly because there is nothing inside.
Difference = negligible!
But, since we live in a state that is prone to storms and power outages, if you have a near-empty freezer and want to make sure you can keep your frozen goods cold, it's a good idea to put water in plastic containers and fill in those void spaces!
Posted on 4/17/14 at 2:11 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Yes
Think of it as this. An empty freezer has more space to cool. So it'll take more energy to keep that space at the desired temperature
If you're freezer is full, it'll take more energy to freeze the stuff inside the freezer initially, but afterwards it'll be more efficient since it doesn't have as much area to cool.
Think of it as this. An empty freezer has more space to cool. So it'll take more energy to keep that space at the desired temperature
If you're freezer is full, it'll take more energy to freeze the stuff inside the freezer initially, but afterwards it'll be more efficient since it doesn't have as much area to cool.
Posted on 4/17/14 at 2:11 pm to Hugo Stiglitz
Look who's in the freezer. Uncle Ebeneezer.
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