Energy Saving Tips For Your Kegerator

Published On: Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Kegerators are appliances that use a lot of energy, but there are ways to keep costs down. Refrigerators of all sorts are well-known energy hogs, but kegerators are among the least costly if they are built right. By ensuring that your kegerator is properly insulated and operating at the right temperatures, you are ensuring that it is doing its job as efficiently as possible.

The biggest impact you can have on your kegerator's energy bill is making sure it stays closed as much as possible. The biggest energy waste in refrigeration is not in getting things cold, but keeping them cold. With refrigerator doors opening and closing at all hours, it is a wonder that they are as efficient as they are! If your kegerator is built properly, you should only have to open it two or three times every two weeks – Once to put your new keg into it, a second time to hook up the beer and gas lines (after the beer has settled), and a third time when the beer runs out to clean and sanitize the beer lines and the inside of the kegerator.

Keeping your kegerator in a cool place is a good way to optimize its efficiency. If you have a cellar, that is a good place to set up your home bar. By all means, don't put it next to the fireplace or in a place that gets direct sunlight! One beneficial aspect of placement that may not be immediately evident is that refrigerators work best with space. When a refrigerator or kegerator is boxed in on all sides, the heat exchange compressor has trouble operating at maximum efficiency. It is best to try and ensure a free air flow around the kegerator.

You are probably going to save a lot of money on your energy bill if your kegerator is a brand new one as opposed to a used fridge conversion. This is because new refrigerator units have the advantage of all the years of accumulated engineering and thoughtful innovation. Also, the seals function well and the insulation is not likely to be degraded. If you have a home made kegerator, it is imperative that you check your kegerators seals. The heat will leak in from a break in the seals more than any other source.

Keeping an eye on new cooling technology is a good idea if you are looking to save on your kegerator's energy bill. There are new studies from Penn. State where electronic field generation is used instead of compressors to cool things down. According to Professor Qiming Zhang , "This is the first step in the development of an electric field refrigeration unit... For the future, we can envision a flat panel refrigerator. No more coils, no more compressors, just solid polymer with appropriate heat exchangers."

If you have no beer in the kegerator, and are leaving your home for a trip, why not save energy and turn your kegerator off? You need only take a few precautions: be sure to clean and sanitize your beer lines before turning the kegerator off for a long time. Make sure that your kegerator is clean inside and out. It is important to look closely at detail when cleaning your kegerator for storage. Clean and sanitize your spill tray, and your beer lines. After the initial wipe down and sanitizing, remember to sop up excess moisture on the inside of the kegerator. It is recommended to keep the door to the kegerator cracked while you are away. This will prevent any nasty residuals from fermenting, molding, or breeding unwanted bacteria into your kegerator.

Another tip is making sure that your kegerator is operating at the desired 38 degrees. If your beer is getting colder than this, it may come out flat as well as add unnecessarily to your energy bill. Keeping a thermometer in your kegerator is a good idea to ensure that the kegerator thermostat is functional. If you follow all of these tips, you should be able to knock a couple of dollars off of your monthly energy bill and ensure that you are doing all you can to save energy with your kegerator.

For additional information on kegerators or draft beer topics please visit our kegerator article center.