While we seem to focus so much attention on searching for and purchasing the most energy-efficient refrigerator and freezer, it turns out that how much food you store in your fridge or freezer has a significant impact on how energy-efficient they are. According to these green shopping tips at Ideal Bite, your fridge and freezer will function more efficiently when they are full, but not overstuffed.

So, here’s a thought: Next time you head out to do some grocery shopping, make it worth your while. Running in for just a few things multiple times a week ends up costing much more in the long run due to impulse purchases and wasted fuel. By planning meals, and shopping from a grocery list, you’ll conserve fuel, save money on groceries, and conserve energy. I guess the express lane isn’t the “easy out” I thought it was.

Of all household appliances, refrigerators are near the top of the list when it comes to energy consumption. If you’re looking for a green refrigerator to help you save energy, consider the following tips:

Read the Labels: A great first step in selecting green household appliances, refrigerators included, is to narrow down your search by reading the energy consumption labels on the appliances. By doing so, you’ll quickly be able to determine which appliances are the most energy-efficient.

Don’t Buy More than You Need: Larger refrigerators require more energy than smaller ones. Buying a large refrigerator when a small one is sufficient, results in wasted energy due to continuously cooling space that you simply don’t need. On the flip side, if your family currently requires two refrigerators, you might want to consider upgrading to a single, but large, energy-efficient refrigerator, because one large refrigerator requires less energy than two smaller ones.

Style: When it comes to saving energy, the greenest refrigerators are typically top or bottom freezer models. However, you should always pay attention to energy saver appliance labels as manufacturers are continuously developing new styles of green appliances which consume less energy than their predecessors.