Energy Hogging Vintage Appliances?

To answer the most common question I get: No, Antique fridges aren't the energy hogs people say they are. Sometimes switching can even make your energy bill go down. 

Let me explain. Besides long ago earning their initial carbon footprint, most pre 1960s fridges draw the same amount of power as modern ones. This is because frost free technology wasn't around yet, which invokes constantly heating and cooling the unit. The unit itself is usually smaller, which means less air to cool. And finally, the motor on these old beasts only turns on when the temp reaches the setting. If you aren't leaving the door open or opening it constantly, it stays cool for a surprisingly long time without the motor even turning on! This means no energy draw whatsoever most of the day. 

When we switched, our energy bill actually went down. There's only a few exceptions where they can in fact take a lot of energy:

1) You open the door constantly

2) You have a late 1950s or later model with a self defrosting option.

Or 3) and the most common, is that your door gasket cracked with age or is not sealing correctly and letting the cool air out constantly. 

Old cars, old appliances, and old things in general really can be "green" without you doing anything! And most of them have been pulling their weight faithfully for 60+ years!