A full freezer gives you peace of mind that you'll always have food on hand, even when you haven't had time to grocery shop.
But did you know that keeping your freezer full also boosts energy efficiency and temperature stability to preserve frozen foods?
The scoop
In a TikTok video, Joe Moose (@homeenergytips) shared why you should keep your freezer full of food instead of letting it run empty.
@homeenergytips Just adding a little to @Neat Caroline's great home energy savings tip. Can filling up your freezer save you money on your energy bill? ##homeenergytips##energytips##energy ♬ original sound - Why are utility bills so high?
"Keeping [freezers] full helps minimize the amount of warm air when the door is opened," Joe explained in the video.
He also suggested using nonfood items, such as containers of water and newspapers, to fill up the space if you don't have enough food inside.
How it's helping
Joe's freezer tip is helpful because it prevents your freezer from working harder than it needs to. When you have more items inside, your freezer maintains a more consistently cold temperature and there is less room for warm air to take up when you open it to grab something.
More frozen items in the freezer keep food more stable by acting like ice packs and reducing energy usage. Less energy usage translates to less household waste and lower utility bills.
Meanwhile, when your freezer is stocked, you reduce your food waste by focusing meals on bulk purchases and leftovers. This strategy makes meal planning easier and requires less frequent trips to the grocery store to buy new food.
However, you should leave some space in your freezer for air circulation and to prevent airflow from being blocked entirely.
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You can make your freezer even more efficient by removing icy buildup along the freezer walls. When your freezer is empty, you can put a pot of hot water inside to start melting away the icy buildup so that it's easier to scrap away with a spatula.
For even more savings and sustainability, you can upgrade to energy-efficient kitchen appliances, such as the Groundfridge, which operates entirely without electricity, or the Kuza Freezer, which runs on solar energy.
Such smart home features can significantly reduce your household carbon pollution while saving you hundreds of dollars annually.
What people are saying
Neat Caroline (@neat.caroline), a New York City home expert, inspired Joe to share this freezer tip with his followers.
On her Instagram account, Caroline offers valuable advice about how to clean, organize, and declutter your home.
"This is great!" Caroline wrote in the comments of Joe's video.
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