8 Refrigerator Mistakes Experts Warn Could Be Raising Your Energy Bill
Small refrigerator mistakes, higher energy bills—here’s what to stop doing.
Expert consulted: Nicole PapantoniouKitchen Appliances Lab Director
I love my fridge. Truly. One of the promises I made to myself in 2026 was to cook most of my meals at home, and my refrigerator has become the quiet MVP of that plan. My favorite weekly ritual now is grocery shopping—stocking up on produce, leftovers I’ll actually eat, and ingredients that make cooking feel doable instead of overwhelming. My fridge keeps me organized, motivated and fed.
For a long time, though, I took it completely for granted. Growing up, the refrigerator was just… there. It worked, food stayed cold, and I didn’t think much of it. But after graduating from college, movinginto my own place, and—most importantly—starting to pay my own electric bills, I realized just how much that one appliance can affect my monthly costs.
I went from not giving my fridge a second thought to caring about things like energy use, efficiency, and whether small habits were quietly driving up my bill. Was I leaving the door open too long? Did temperature settings actually matter? Was there something I should be doing differently without even realizing it?
To understand which everyday refrigerator habits could be costing more than they’re worth, I turned to the experts and spoke with Nicole Papantoniou, Director of the Kitchen & Cooking Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. Ahead, she breaks down the most common fridge mistakes—and the small changes that can make a real difference.
Leaving the refrigerator door open too long
Every second counts. “Leaving the door open causes your fridge to work harder to maintain the set temperature,” Papantoniou explains. The longer warm air rushes in, the more energy your fridge needs to cool back down. Even quick, repeated door openings can quietly add up—especially in busy households.
Overfilling—or underfilling—the fridge
There’s a balance most people miss. “Cold items help the fridge stay cold, but fewer items allow air to circulate better,” Papantoniou says. A fridge that’s packed too tightly restricts airflow, while an empty one loses cold quickly. Aim for comfortably full, not stuffed.
Using the wrong temperature setting
Temperature settings matter more than many people realize. “We typically recommend 37°F,” Papantoniou says. Warmer puts food in the danger zone, while colder settings can waste energy and cause items to freeze unnecessarily.
Ignoring the freezer temperature
Your freezer works just as hard as your fridge. Papantoniou recommends keeping it at 0°F to balance food safety and efficiency. Lowering it beyond that won’t keep food fresher—it’ll just use more energy.
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Worn or dirty door seals
A failing seal lets cold air escape. “A good seal traps air,” Papantoniou says. If air leaks out, your fridge runs longer to compensate. A quick test: shut the door on a piece of paper—if it slips out easily, the seal may be the problem.
Never cleaning the condenser coils
Dusty coils force your fridge to work overtime. “Keeping them dust-free allows them to operate better and more efficiently,” Papantoniou notes. Cleaning them at least once a year can improve performance and help lower energy use.
Putting hot food straight into the fridge
Hot leftovers raise the internal temperature fast. “It’s best to bring food to room temperature before refrigerating,” Papantoniou says. Doing so helps maintain the fridge’s overall temperature and keeps nearby foods from warming up.
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Not fully closing the door
This is the simplest fix with the biggest payoff. “Limit the amount of time you keep the door open—and make sure it’s fully shut,” Papantoniou advises. Without a door alarm, it’s easy to leave it slightly ajar—and that small gap can quietly drive up your energy bill.
Noah Cortez is a Brooklyn-based writer and editor writing about
travel, culture, food, and lifestyle. Prior to this, he was a social media
editor at GQ Magazine, Complex, and Conde Nast Traveler, and his writing
has been featured in Tripadvisor, Hotels Above Par, Conde Nast Traveler,
and more. Find out more at noahcortez.com.
Nicole (she/her) is the senior director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen & Cooking Lab. She oversees all content and testing related to kitchen products, food, and recipes. She has worked at GH since 2019, and is a trained cook, published recipe developer, and seasoned product tester with nearly 15 years of experience. She has worked in test kitchens for national magazines and kitchen appliances brands, where she also helped develop products for the home cook. She earned a degree in journalism from SUNY New Paltz, graduated with a Grand Diplome in Classic Culinary Arts from the French Culinary Institute, and studied culinary nutrition at the Natural Gourmet Institute (both now part of the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City.)
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