[RE-wrenches] Off-grid refrigerator

[Tom at wagonmaker]

Almost 25 years ago, when we built our off grid home, we looked at the limited options then available one of which was the Sunfrost.  After looking into things like relative efficiency, initial purchase cost and system requirements, it became pretty obvious that the Sunfrost was an overpriced option that had too many problems.  For half the cost we bought a Vestfrost and then simply added a bit more generating capacity to  our array at far less than the difference in cost between the Vestfrost and the Sunfrost.  It was the best decision on appliances we ever made.  The 120 vac Vestfrost was a bit less efficient but since we were generating our own power that difference was irrelevant as the cost to provide the necessary capacity to handle the efficiency difference actually resulted in us saving money and also gaining a very reliable appliance.

That was then and the Vestfrost was massively more efficient than the standard refrigerators then available.  Now, that model of Vestfrost is nowhere near as efficient as the newest Energy Star compliant refrigerators available at most appliance stores.  Don’t waste time or money searching for another DC refrigerator, there simply isn’t any benefit.  It will be cheaper to buy off the shelf and if you have to add a bit of generating capacity getting another panel on your system will be way cheaper than than it was for us back in the day...and back then it was still the better option.

Tom



From: Will White 
Sent: Saturday, September 8, 2018 3:20 PM
To: RE-wrenches 
Subject: [RE-wrenches] Off-grid refrigerator

Hello Off-grid Wrenches,

After 10+ years my Wife is finally sick of our Sunfrost RF-12. We'd like to upgrade to something a little more modern that doesn't leak water all over the floor when it's humid

For you off-grid installers what's your go to refrigerator recommendation? I'm going to go through the energy star website but I thought I'd consult with the experts too. I'd like to find something that has a form factor similar to the Sunfrost although I know that's going to be hard to find.

Thanks,
Will White



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Will White 
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