A household belief is that placing magnets at the door of the fridge either fridge will make you consume more energy, which is an economic problem and a wear of the appliance. But this consequence does not really exist.
The myth has been around for generations and although they are magnetic objects that stick to the metal door, the energy and heat they generate is not significant enough to impact the door. energy consumption.
“If we talk about conventional fridge magnets that are made of ferrite, they create a rather weak magnetic field. However, you can now buy other types of magnets, neodymium, iron and boron, which are powerful enough to affect electronic equipment. In these cases it is better to use ferrite magnets,” Yuri Mikhailovsky, a physics professor, told the Sputnik agency.
Nor is there any consequence in its operation that negatively or positively affects any operation of the refrigerator. What makes putting these decorative elements safe, unless someone obstructs the door closure, something that is a problem because the refrigerator will receive hot air and will have to work harder.
The opposite happens with computers, according to Mikhailovski. These devices can suffer from having magnets nearby, because the hard drive you use has “the principles of magnetic recording” and a “powerful magnet with its field can demagnetize the drive, so you have to be careful not to hang magnets next to it.” of the”.
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What practices can affect energy consumption
Decorating a refrigerator with magnets is not a concern, as are other customs that people tend to have with this appliance and that do have an impact on energy consumption on a daily basis.
One of the common ones is constantly opening and closing the door. It is normal for it to open to look for a product and then we forget another one that we needed. But this error must be reduced as much as possible because the refrigerator will carry out the same activation process every time the door is moved and that represents more consumption.
It is also usually an error the location of the fridge. You should always opt for a cool space that is not exposed to direct sunlight, an oven or a stove, as this will mean more work to keep it cool.
These practices must be added to constant internal and external maintenance, verifying that it is operating correctly without generating temperature spikes or unforeseen shutdowns. In addition to cleaning ventilation sections and the freezer, in case it is a frost refrigerator that produces a lot of ice.
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How much energy do household appliances consume?
An average household of two people consumes about 3,050 kilowatt hours per year, explains the energy advice service of the German consumer centers.
According to a survey conducted by the Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) for the year 2021, consumer electronics such as televisions and game consoles account for 28 percent, that is, slightly more a quarter of total electricity consumption.
For comparison: according to this study, washing and drying clothes consume 14 percent of electricity, lighting 13 percent, and fridges and freezers 11 percent. They are followed by the kitchen and the dishwasher, with 9 and 8 percent respectively. These values ​​add up to a total of 55 percent.
