So, we’d like to get a new refirgerator (our current refrigerator is pretty old and beat. When the compressor kicks on, the lights in the living room flicker, and the shelf on the inside of the door is broken, which greatly reduces the useful storage space.), and being good liberal types, we’d like something energy-efficient. The problem is, our house is small, and the kitchen is very small, so the space available for the fridge (without ripping all the cabinets out and re-doing the whole kitchen) is only about 28″ wide, and the selection in that small size is really limited. In particular, it rules out any of the “Energy Star” rated models I’ve seen, and the only small-size fridges I’ve found in Sears, Lowe’s, and Best Buy are close to the maximum on the little “energy use” scale on the manufacturer’s tag.
The guy at Sears said they didn’t carry the small size in any model other than the energy hog one they had on display, and while I haven’t asked at Lowe’s or Best Buy, I suspect the same is true for those stores. My guess is that that size is usually used for apartments, and the landlords who buy them aren’t willing to pay for energy efficiency.
My question for the Internet is: Is there somebody out there making and selling more efficient refrigerators in a smaller size than the 26 ft3 models that appear the be the standard? It seems crazy that you wouldn’t be able to get them at all, but I’m not sure what the other options are. The thing needs to be replaced (albeit not urgently), and if we have to buy a less efficient model, we’ll do that, but I’m willing to pay a few extra bucks for a better product, if I can find somebody who’ll sell me what I want.