Nate Nagel wrote:
....
... A new 25 ft^3 "energy star" fridge would use a little more than
half as much juice as my 20 year old 18 ft^3 clunker?
....

Probably not half, but certainly better. The ratings are only really
comparable between rated units for comparison purposes, not in
comparison to any specific operating unit, primarily because the testing
can't (and doesn't attempt to) mimic the operating cycle of the specific
user.

But, since it is the same test, it does have value in comparing units
when shopping.

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