anyone played around with time shifting fridge/freezer?

[Gareth J]

With excess PV floating about this time of year, am considering putting a timer on the fridge to try to shift it a bit towards the excess during the day.

Inevitably it'll do this itself to a degree - we're not opening and shutting it at night. But, before I muck about with a timer, has anyone had success? Or is it not worth the hassle/risk of fluctuations in the freezer temperature? Am in two minds about how worthwhile it'd be

[Oliver90owner]

A manual alternative might be freezing cooler box type thingies in the day-time (solar driven freezer time) and leaving them at the top of the fridge during periods of high-cost leccy? I always try to thaw out frozen food from the freezer by leaving it in the fridge for a while. Just gets back some of the energy used to freeze it.

The old freezer had a ‘super-freeze’ setting, so easy to switch that on when there was surplus generation. No such luck with the latest replacement.

[Swwils]

With most modern fridges and freezers (last 15 years) you will upset the anti frost and other control cycles if you switch it on and off like this.

Opening and shutting a fridge does almost nothing, the energy for the air in the fridge is miniscule compared to the contents. That won't warm up unless you leave the fridge open for an age.

Unfortunately I dont know of any domestic unit that will let you set the defrost cycle time - that would be beneficial and is actually how Asda help load balance the grid.

[Stinsy]

I do put a 1L tub of water in the freezer when I have excess solar and transfer it to the top of the fridge on cloudy days. I imagine to myself that this transfers energy by means of phase-change from one day to another.

However I’m not sure how effective it is…

[Gareth J]

Thanks for the input everyone.

I can't see me manually shuffling stuff around although I certainly admire the concious effort!

I do see a "super" button on there, which the manual suggests lowers the target temp either, until it's turned off or after a set time (not sure which) I can manage to bop that if it's sunny. Hopefully it turns off too. Could even potentially be automated. But that seems silly.

Probably the best thing I could do would be to clean the radiator off! I almost guarantee its dusty

[Joeboy]

I have a couple of freezers on timers to avoid drawing from the batteries at night. Harks back to when the stack was smaller.

[robl]

Just checked our fridge! It would beep when turned on to indicate a power cut, so that's not great. But it has a "boost" button for the fridge, and for the freezer. The manual says the fridge one stays on for "several hours", the freezer one for 50 hours. Ours says it uses 191kWh/year, while this is low, it's probably our highest energy use in the house. We'll head towards Octopus Go soon I expect, then possibly the thing to do is run it hard overnight.
Switchbot anyone?
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SwitchBot-Smar ... B07B7NXV4R

[Stinsy]

Maybe you could run a 2nd power supply via a smart-plug that bypasses the thermostat? That way during the cheap period and when there is excess solar, you could run it full whack, and allow the thermostat to do it's thing the rest of the time?

[ecogeorge]

Embarrassed to say we have 4 freezers.........2 are fairly energy efficient , 1 is ok and 1 is terrible (very old and runs a lot of the time - serious efforts in place to empty it and dispose of).
I run the 2 more efficient on a time clock -with the off period set fro 6pm to 1.30am then on for an hour (economy 7) then off untill 10 am ish ...... shifts the use onto solar but allows a top up if required on cheap rate electric.
Thinking about i think i will increase the frozen temp (make colder) to compensate.
No problems so far........
George.

[Mr Gus]

As a food smoker & sous vider, I recommend anyone who has ever forked out on a *decent* cool box buys up stock of campingaz brand ice blocks when on offer, I have them permanently on rotation over 2 freezers for 1 large crapped out fridge that is still in service (fan works) I load up a coldsink of around 15 blocks in a pile which season dependent last well as a cold store with no ill effects, the still cold but depleted ones go back in freezers, yes I could & maybe should freeze 2 litre bottles or similar but I have the stacking piles down pat, the only wobbles are when out of the blue the kid announces a camping kit conjuration with 24 hrs notice.

Wife would pop a blood vessel if I rammed many bottles in the freezers I think.

the blocks last a good week in normal times of secondary fridge opened partially 3+ times per day to get pups food out & a beer in the evening, I don't know that many folk who keep their freezer blocks charged, seemed to find them in cupboards which kind of speaks mounds about energ perception & people of the uk in my mind.

ABC applies to more than BEV's