FEMP Designated Product: Residential Freezers
Legal Authorities
Federal agencies are required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-58) and Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Subpart 23.2 to specify and buy ENERGY STAR®-qualified products or, in categories with no ENERGY STAR label, FEMP-designated products which are among the highest 25 percent of equivalent products for energy efficiency.
Information about energy-efficient residential freezers in this section includes the following:
Also provided is a portable document format version of Purchasing Specifications for Residential Freezers (PDF 281 KB, 2 pp). Download Adobe Reader.
| Performance Requirement for Federal Purchases | ||
|---|---|---|
| Freezer Type–Defrost | Total Volume | Annual Energy Usea |
| Chest–Manual | <6.4 cu. ft. | 230 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | 6.5 to 8.4 cu. ft. | 260 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | 8.5 to 10.4 cu. ft. | 290 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | 10.5 to 12.4 cu. ft. | 320 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | 12.5 to 14.4 cu. ft. | 350 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | 14.5 to 16.4 cu. ft. | 380 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | 16.5 to 18.4 cu. ft. | 410 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | 18.5 to 20.4 cu. ft. | 440 kWh/year or less |
| Chest–Manual | >20.5 cu. ft. | 470 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | <6.4 cu. ft. | 305 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | 6.5 to 8.4 cu. ft. | 330 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | 8.5 to 10 cu. ft. | 355 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | 10.5 to 12.4 cu. ft. | 380 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | 12.5 to 14.4 cu. ft. | 405 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | 14.5 to 16.4 cu. ft. | 430 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | 16.5 to 18.4 cu. ft. | 455 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | 18.5 to 20.4 cu. ft. | 480 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Manual | >20.5 cu. ft. | 505 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Automatic | <12.4 cu. ft. | 530 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Automatic | 12.5 to 14.4 cu. ft. | 565 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Automatic | 14.5 to 16.4 cu. ft. | 600 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Automatic | 16.5 to 18.4 cu. ft. | 635 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Automatic | 18.5 to 20.4 cu. ft. | 670 kWh/year or less |
| Upright–Automatic | >20.5 cu. ft. | 705 kWh/year or less |
a Annual energy use is based on DOE test procedure (10 CFR 430, Sub-Part B, Appendix E).
Buying Energy-Efficient Residential Freezers
When buying residential freezers directly from commercial sources, select products that are ENERGY STAR-qualified (see For More Information), all of which meet the annual energy use (kWh/year) in the Performance Requirement table. For products that don't display the ENERGY STAR, check the annual energy use listed on the yellow EnergyGuide label for models that meet this Specification.
Performance requirements apply to all forms of procurements, including: guide and project specifications; construction, renovation, repair, maintenance and energy service contracts, lease agreements and solicitations for offers. Energy performance requirements should be included in all evaluations of solicitation responses. Model language to assist agencies with incorporating these performance requirements into their procurement documents is available here.
The federal supply source for residential freezers is the General Services Administration (GSA), which sells them through its Multiple Awards Schedules program and on-line shopping network, GSA Advantage! Note that not all residential freezers sold by GSA are ENERGY STAR-qualified and some that do qualify may not be indicated as ENERGY STAR. When buying freezers through this source, check the models you are considering against the list of qualified products on the ENERGY STAR web site to assure they meet this Specification.
Size and Type Selection
Select a freezer size and type that is appropriate for the amount of food or material stored. An oversized freezer will increase purchase cost, require more space and also waste energy due to unused capacity. Chest freezers are more efficient than upright models because they typically have more insulation and cold air does not sink out of them when they are opened. Freezers with automatic defrost use more energy than manual defrost products and can also dehydrate food causing "freezer burn."
| Cost-Effectiveness Example | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance | Base Modela | Required | Best Availableb |
| Annual Electricity Use | 687 kWh | 635 kWh | 616 kWh |
| Annual Energy Cost | $42 | $38 | $37 |
| Lifetime Energy Costc | $545 | $500 | $485 |
| Lifetime Energy Cost Savings | — | $45 | $60 |
a The efficiency of the Base Model is the minimum allowed by current US DOE appliance standards (10 CFR 430, Sub-part B, Appendix A1).
b More efficient products may have been introduced to the market since this specification was published. Information on the Best Available model was obtained from the ENERGY STAR freezer products list (see For More Information).
c Lifetime Energy Cost is the sum of the discounted value of the annual energy costs based on average usage and an assumed freezer life of 19 years. Future energy price trends and a discount rate of 3.0% are based on federal guidelines (effective from April, 2005 to March, 2006).
Cost-Effectiveness Assumptions
In the example above, annual energy use was calculated with the standard DOE test procedure on a 16.5 to 18.4 cubic foot, upright freezer with automatic defrost. The assumed electricity price is 6¢ per kWh, the average at federal facilities in the US.
Using the Cost-Effectiveness Table
In the example above, the Required freezer is cost-effective if its purchase price is no more than $45 above the price of the Base Model. The Best Available model is cost-effective if its price is no more than $60 above that of the Base Model.
What if my Freezer Type or Electricity Price is different?
ENERGY STAR has an EXCEL-based cost calculator for freezers on it's Web site, click on Savings Calculator–Consumer Residential Freezers. Select the freezer type and input the rate for electricity at the top of the page. The output section will automatically display results that better reflect your conditions.
For More Information
- DOE's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Information Center
Phone: 1-877-EERE-INF or 1-877-337-3463 - EPA/DOE ENERGY STAR has lists of qualified freezers.
Phone: (888) 782-7937 - General Services Administration: Federal Supply Service and GSA Advantage!
Phone: (816) 926-6760 - American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) publishes the Consumer's Guide to Home Energy Savings which contains a chapter on food storage.
Phone: (202) 429-0063 - Federal Trade Commission lists the annual energy use of freezers and other appliances.
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provided market research and life cycle cost analysis in support of this energy-efficiency purchasing specification.
Phone: (202) 646-7950