MANILA, Philippines – With P20, you can find out if your refrigerator’s door seal is as tight as it should be. That is much, much cheaper than getting a technician to look at your refrigerator.

Electrolux, the appliance manufacturer, says the P20 bill is the kind of paper you need to conduct the test. Actually, any peso bill or paper of the same thickness will do, but Electrolux assumes P20 is more readily available in most households.

Simply close the door on a peso bill. If the paper is held tightly in place, there is no problem with your refrigerator’s seal; if the paper falls off, you need to call a technician to adjust the door or replace the seal.

Making sure your refrigerator is tightly sealed will help reduce your electricity consumption and save you money. A door that does not close tightly lets the cold air escape, making the appliance work harder to maintain the right temperature inside. That will mean greater electricity consumption.

Electrolux offers other suggestions to help make sure your refrigerator is energy-efficient:

Always set the temperature to the right level. Consult the user manual to check the manufacturer’s recommendation.

Do not overfill the refrigerator so as not to block air circulation. But a freezer performs better when full than when empty.

Clean the coils at the back and air intake grill below the door or doors every three months.

Keep refrigerators and freezers away from direct sunlight and make sure there is at least five centimeters of space all around to allow heat to escape from the compressor and condensing coil.

Allow hot food to cool before storing in the refrigerator.

As for keeping that old, inefficient refrigerator as a cooler for drinks, Electrolux does not think it a good idea. It will only cost you thousands of pesos in additional energy consumption.

Tips for washing machine use

Electrolux suggests using cold water, as much as possible, for washing clothes.

“A whopping 85-90 percent of the energy used by washing machines is for heating the water,” it says. Hot water also shrinks and wears out clothes much more quickly and makes colors fade faster.

Since most Filipinos change clothes often and do not really get them very dirty, there is very rarely a need for thorough cleaning with hot water. The humidity makes people change clothes every day, even twice or more a day.

Electrolux also suggests that the washing machine be run only with full loads as much as possible, but should not be overloaded. For those who want to conserve not only energy but water too, Electrolux makes a pitch for its front-loading washing machine.

“Front-loading clothes washers... use roughly half the water per load, and are more effective at squeezing the water out of the clothes,” which means they will dry much more quickly.

The company also says clothes washed in front-loading washers “last longer because they are gently tumbled rather than twisted around an agitator.”

As for electric dryers, hanging the clothes outside where it is exposed to sun and wind is, of course, the better option. Drying clothes under the sun, which is out most days in this tropical country, does not only save energy but also gives clothes a much cleaner and fresher smell.

But for those who have to use dryers because they do not have the space for drying clothes the natural way, Electrolux offers some suggestions to reduce energy consumption:

Make sure clothes are effectively wrung before they are put in the dryer.

Separate loads into heavy, medium, and lightweight items. Lighter loads take less drying time than a mixture of items.

Dry consecutive loads to use heat generated by the previous load.

Clean the lint filter after every load. (Electrolux says a clogged filter can increase energy use up to 30 percent, and may be a fire hazard.)

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