If you are considering buying a freezer then you probably already know that there are many advantages. Over its lifetime, a freezer can generally save you as much money as you paid to buy and operate it–many times over! Buying items on sale, seems like a small thing, but if you consider a $1 savings multiplied numerous times, it really adds up. Now consider buying in bulk or in season and the difference in price is even much greater. Besides for cost efficiency, freezers are just plain convenient and they will save you many a trip to the supermarket. Once you’ve decided that a freezer is for you, choosing the right one may be overwhelming. You have to make your decision based on style, price, capacity, and energy efficiency. We’ve put together this basic guide to choosing a new freezer in order to help you find the right type of freezer without getting frozen in the process.

There are basically three different types of freezers on the market–chest freezers, upright freezers, and compact freezers. Here are some of the pros and cons of each:

Chest Freezer
Chest freezers are the most economical freezer model on the market, both in purchasing and operational costs. Since they open from the top, and are made with built-in insulation, chest freezers hold their temperature and are therefore much cheaper to run. In fact, during a blackout, a chest freezer can keep food frozen for up to 3 days as long as the lid stays closed the whole time. They also release less cold air when opened as compared to upright models. Chest freezers are exclusively manual defrost. Although this is a tedious task that can take as much as a day to accomplish, it will greatly save on energy costs. Typically, freezers need only be defrosted about once a year, although it could be more often depending on how frequently the door is opened. Additionally, chest freezers have slightly more storage space than upright freezers of the same size, since the entire interior is usable without the space lost for shelves. It is also easier to accommodate oddly shaped or elongated items in a chest model. The capacity of a chest freezer ranges from 10 to 25 cubic feet of food storage space. They also have a long lifespan—as much as 20 years—slightly outliving most upright models.

The downside of chest freezers is that they require a large amount of floor space to store. Because of their great width, it’s not unusual to have to remove a door or two to get it inside the house and beyond. It is also more difficult to keep them perfectly organized and items can get lost more easily than in an upright model, although you’d be surprised how many things can get lost on a shelf as well! The difference is that with a chest freezer, it requires a lot of bending and reaching to find what you’re looking for. Furthermore, chest freezers do not always come with an internal light, making it even harder to find things although some models do come with baskets that make organization easier. Some models possess bottom drawers that are accessible from the outside, and although this is convenient, it slightly reduces freezer capacity. As mentioned above, manual defrost can also be a burden making chest freezers much less attractive to anyone for whom saving money is not an absolute priority.

Upright Freezers
With a door that opens from the front just like a refrigerator, an upright freezer provides the comfort and convenience of a fridge with shelves and lighting making it easy to find items. It also requires much less floor space than a chest freezer. As with a fridge, you can choose between a left-opening and right-opening door with some reversible models, providing you with added flexibility. The capacity of upright freezers range just slightly less than a chest model, from 10 to 20 cubic feet. Most upright freezer models come with automatic defrost for ease of cleaning. This feature costs substantially more upfront and since the freezer constantly shifts on and off to prevent frost buildup like a refrigerator, the energy costs will also be much higher. Foods can also get freezer burn more quickly with auto-defrost, so it’s important to use things up more quickly. Upright freezers are also easier to relocate due to their narrow size and will usually fit through most doorways.

Upright freezers are more expensive than chest models yet provide about 10 – 15% less usable storage capacity. Although shelving makes organization easier, shelves may have to be removed to fit large or oblong items. If money isn’t an option, however, the comfort you gain may be well worth it.

Compact Freezer
If you have limited space, a compact freezer may work best for you. The food storage capacity is as small as 5 to 10 cubic feet and are available in both chest and upright models and will be cheaper to run.

Other aspects to consider when making your decision are freezer capacity, energy efficiency, and additional features:

Freezer Capacity
It’s important to properly size your freezer, since an undersized freezer will minimize usefulness and an oversized one will cost more than necessary to buy and operate. Additionally, a full freezer is more efficient than an empty one and ideally, your freezer should be kept at least two-thirds full at all times. Proper size can be determined by how large your family is, how often you buy in bulk, and how frequently you go shopping. Each cubic foot of freezer space can hold about 35 pounds of food. The most popular size purchased is 15 cubic feet.

Efficiency
As mentioned, a chest freezer is more efficient than an upright and an automatic defrost feature also takes up substantially more energy. Even if you choose to buy an upright with auto-defrost, you should make sure to buy a unit with a good energy star rating.

Additional Features
Now that you’ve decided on style and capacity, here are some more common features to consider:

• Adjustable temperature controls for added convenience may not be available on all models
• Interior and operating indicator lights make it much easier to find what you need
• Childproof safety lock is essential for anyone with young children in the house
• Adjustable shelves on uprights or baskets on chests make organization much easier
• If your fridge doesn’t all ready have one, an ice maker feature is useful
• A textured steel exterior is easier to maintain and will stay clean of fingerprints
• A seamless interior is easier to clean
• Fast freeze section or other freezing features are helpful
• A defrost drain or hose will make defrosting easier on a manual defrost model
• Freezer coils that extend to all side walls will help to keep the temperature constant

In Conclusion:
As we have seen, the advantages of a freezer make it a well worthwhile investment that will most likely bring in regular returns. Although chest freezers are much more economical, upright models are substantially more convenient, making them the number one choice for anyone who can afford the higher purchasing and operating costs. We hope this will help you find the right freezer for your family’s needs so that you can buy in bulk and not spend in bulk!

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