Cooling fridge - which is cheaper Electric or LPG (12 Viewers)

[VXman]

So, I need to cool the fridge on my drive prior to a trip.

LPG @99p per litre Fridge consumption 468g in 24 hours
Mains electric @ £0.225 per kwh power consumption - 240W

I could probably work it out but I'm not totally confident in my maths and electric understanding.

Appreciate some other input.

 

[LithiumConvert]

Either way, the cost of cooling the fridge will be miniscule when compared with the cost of the trip.

Just go for the most convenient. (or the best, if your fridge works better on one rather than the other)

 

[Headrush]

Personally I think the cost is irrelevant. The way I see it, your gas supply is a limited quantity on the van which you need to preserve for when you are away from other sources of power.
The mains electricity has unlimited supply on hookup and doesn't deplete your on board reserves.
I like to leave home with everything topped up to give me the longest time before I need any supplies.

 

[Lenny HB]

So, I need to cool the fridge on my drive prior to a trip.

LPG @99p per litre Fridge consumption 468g in 24 hours
Mains electric @ £0.225 power - 240W

I could probably work it out but I'm not totally confident in my maths and electric understanding.

Appreciate some other input.

You need the electric power use over 24 hours to work it out as the element is controlled by a thermostat so not constantly on.

 

[Guigsy]

Personally I think the cost is irrelevant. The way I see it, your gas supply is a limited quantity on the van which you need to preserve for when you are away from other sources of power.
The mains electricity has unlimited supply on hookup and doesn't deplete your on board reserves.
I like to leave home with everything topped up to give me the longest time before I need any supplies.

I agree. Refilling with gas is a faff. I use mains when I'm pre-chilling the fridge before a trip.

Even with those numbers, I don't think you've got all the info you need. On electric, it won't be using 240w continuously. Once it's cooled down, it'll toggle on and off as required.

If you assume electric is on all the time, it'd be £1.30 for a day on electric and £0.91 for gas. So worst case, there's not a massive difference. In reality, I suspect electric is cheaper.

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[VXman]

Either way, the cost of cooling the fridge will be miniscule when compared with the cost of the trip.

Just go for the most convenient. (or the best, if your fridge works better on one rather than the other)

I was brought up to believe every penny counts. It's ruled my life ever since and to be fair has done me well.

 

[VXman]

You need the electric power use over 24 hours to work it out as the element is controlled by a thermostat so not constantly on.

'
won't be far off

 

[VXman]

and £0.91 for gas.

How do you get that? 468g in 24 hours is nearly 1/2 litre. 99p per litre. So surely its nearer 48p

 

[Lenny HB]

How do you get that? 468g in 24 hours is nearly 1/2 litre. 99p per litre. So surely its nearer 48p

0. 468g is approx 1 Lt.

 

[Guigsy]

I was brought up to believe every penny counts. It's ruled my life ever since and to be fair has done me well.

My time is valuable. I could achieve more if I had more. I'm normally constrained by time more then I am by a couple of quid.

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[appydaze]

I think the easier way is to chuck a couple of freezer packs from home

 

[Razamataz]

I must be a total tight wad…….
Just before I start the van…. I fill it he fridge with frozen food and everything else ice cold….. Free power from battery all the way to our destination

 

[cyberyacht]

The difference is only going to be a matter of pence. How much additional fuel will you use diverting to top up with LPG at some future juncture? If you plug in at home, at least the engine battery will be charged up as well and won't cause issues for your airbag ECU.

 

[Brains]

I think you will find your fridge runs more efficiently on mains electricity.

It is not just a case the calorific value of each power source,
and the cost per calorie used,
and the time taken to reach optimal temperature,
and of course the ambient temperature.

The simple way to work it out is;
If gas was even marginally more efficient than electricity to run a fridge, then the big commercial refrigeration companies would be running on mains gas which is easily available.
The clue is they run their fridges on electricity.

 

[VXman]

0. 468g is approx 1 Lt.

Ah, of course - getting my ml's and g's mixed up

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[Lenny HB]

I think you will find your fridge runs more efficiently on mains electricity.

They are far more efficient on gas.

If gas was even marginally more efficient than electricity to run a fridge, then the big commercial refrigeration companies would be running on mains gas which is easily available.
The clue is they run their fridges on electricity.

Totally ilrelavant they are compressor fridges

 

[Brains]

I was brought up to believe every penny counts. It's ruled my life ever since and to be fair has done me well.

How many pennies to drive to the LPG pump and refill earlier than originally intended ?
(Remember to include tyre wear, fuel, Adblu, wastage at the pump, shoe leather walking between front door and van, etc.)

You have to factor in all the costs !

 

[VXman]

The simple way to work it out is;
If gas was even marginally more efficient than electricity to run a fridge, then the big commercial refrigeration companies would be running on mains gas which is easily available.
The clue is they run their fridges on electricity.

Commercial fridges will be compressor fridges, My fridge is an absorption fridge (I didn't state this but assumed people would realise this as it runs on gas as well as electric). My understanding is absorption fridges are quite inefficient and many people often state they work better on gas. Personally i'd say mine works equally well on all sources of energy.

edit: Lenny beat me to it.

 

[steve69]

I fill my freezer with pre frozen ready meals either home cooked or bought. It certainly will help to reduce the cooling costs whichever source you use.

 

[VXman]

How many pennies to drive to the LPG pump and refill earlier than originally intended ?
(Remember to include tyre wear, fuel, Adblu, wastage at the pump, shoe leather walking between front door and van, etc.)

You have to factor in all the costs !

always fill up on route to my destination

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[Richard n Ann]

I was brought up to believe every penny counts. It's ruled my life ever since and to be fair has done me well.

You need a compressor fridge next time you buy one then. Mine runs on sunshine power, it's a bit cloudy today here but there's still enough solar to run the fridge AND recharge the battery

 

[1967bowesj]

You need a compressor fridge next time you buy one then. Mine runs on sunshine power, it's a bit cloudy today here but there's still enough solar to run the fridge AND recharge the battery

Best move we did when our dometic 8505 chucked its toys out the pram in may. Cut my gas use on weekends away when not on leccy, even with my piddly old school lead acids I still get ice cubes fir g&t and ice lollies are still frozen even in the high 20's to 30 deg we have had.

 

[Sdrawde]

Still awaiting the purchase of our Moho but with our old caravan we used to freeze 3/4 of an empty plastic coke / tonic bottle the day before our journey and then wedge it in the fridge/ freezer when we set off. Kept everything nice and cool.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

We always put our fridge on electric at home before we travel. Its convenient and saves on gas which is more of a fafff to fill up than connecting the ehu.

 

[starquake]

You need the electric power use over 24 hours to work it out as the element is controlled by a thermostat so not constantly on.

If it helps OP on our fridge in summer, I clocked the fridge at using 3kwh over 24 hours to cool. That was at 24 celcius outside average. I suspect it'd use rather more (around 1 kwh every 3 hours) if it was warmer as that was the peak usage.

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[LostInSpace]

You need a compressor fridge next time you buy one then.

I would never do that. Always keep your options open by having the three way fridge.