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What are the best brands for fridges?

There are many variables to consider when looking for the ‘best’ fridge. While some brands are more technologically advanced, they may come with an unrealistic price for your budget. Other fridges may have limitations due to size, colour or availability.

Luckily, our team of product experts are ideally placed to navigate all these variables for you and based on their years of experience, help you identify the Best Appliances according to several criteria. You can see our list of the best fridges we have in stock.

How much does a good fridge cost?

Before you begin the process of buying a fridge, you need to establish your budget and requirements.

There is a wide range of fridges available at DID and naturally, you can expect to pay a premium for the appliance with all the bells and whistles. Prices for a mini fridge can start at around €80 and the top of the range hi-tech can cost €3,000.

Before looking at brands, sizes and specifications, work out how much want to spend on your fridge.

This guide will help you work out how to get the best appliance for your budget.

When should I buy a new fridge?

There are some obvious tell-tale signs that your fridge is coming to the end of its life.

Adjusting Freezer Temperatures
  1. Noise– if you notice your fridge is humming more often this means your motor is probably running for longer than usual. Your appliance should not need to constantly run to regulate temperature. This is a sure sign that something is not right.
  2. Frost or Water Build up– large build ups of frost or pools of water and constant condensation are other signs that something is not right. All these signal that your appliance is either too cold or too hot. If you adjust your settings and these issues persist, it may be a matter of time before the machine breaks permanently.
  3. Food is spoiling – if you notice that food is not lasting as long as it should in your refrigerator it may be time for a change. There could be an issue with the thermostat or the lining in the door, allowing the temperature to rise and spoil your food.
  4. Age– all appliances have an estimated lifespan. The amount of use, the conditions its operating under and the integrity of the parts inside can all play a role in either lengthening or reducing the life of the machine.

According to our own statistics, you are more likely to buy a fridge or fridge freezer in July than any other month of the year. These types of refrigeration appliances are most likely to break down during the summer months due to the hotter weather, which makes your appliance work harder to keep food cool.

In 2019, there were over 151,000 fridge and fridge freezers sold in Ireland. July sales were 43% higher than the monthly average for 2018.

The other months with spikes in sales were January and November, two months of the year you would normally associate with special offers.

That said, if you are renovating your kitchen or moving into a new house, this is also an excellent opportunity to upgrade your kitchen appliances.

What features should I look out for when comparing appliances?

There are many features to use as a guide to work out which fridge is the best for you.

These are some of the features you can use to compare appliances.

  • Energy Rating- This rating (from the best A to G) tells you two things about your appliance. Firstly, the estimated energy consumption on a scale comparable to other similar appliances. Secondly, the rating will give you an estimated yearly energy consumption that you can use to calculate how much the appliance will add to your electricity bill.
  • Size– In addition to the height, width and depth of the machine you also need to consider the net capacity of the appliance. The net capacity is the amount of space available within the appliance to store items. You can lose storage space to thick shelves, bottle racks and water coolers.
  • Energy Consumption– This is where the energy rating and the size of the machine come in to play. If two fridges have the same energy rating, we can expect the larger machine will require more energy to run and therefore cost more.
  • Fit Type – This is where you need to consider the rest of your kitchen. We offer fridges in many styles to suit the overall design of your room. These include undercounter, table-top, built-in, fully Integrated and freestanding such as the popular American style fridges. More on each fit type can be found below.

What is the best size fridge to buy?

Fridges come in many shapes and sizes. To make sure the appliance you purchase will fit into the area you have, get the measuring tape out and get the exact dimensions of the space you must work with.

You will hear the phrase ‘standard’ being applied to kitchen appliances, but each one is slightly different.

When measuring the space, you’ll need to consider things like;

  1. Skirting or baseboard at floor level
  2. Wiggle room required both at the sides and the back to slide the fridge into place
  3. Manufacturers can sometimes add to the dimensions for installation, meaning you could be doubling up on the wiggle room.
  4. The service panel at the back of the fridge may not be included in the depth measurements.
  5. Space required around the fridge to comfortably open the fridge door(s).

Which type/style of fridge should I choose?

Integrated Fridge Freezers Example

At DID we categorise our fridges as follows:

  • Undercounter fridges– as the name suggests, a fridge that sits under a
    counter.
  • Table-top fridges– a smaller fridge that will sit on top of a counter, press or another appliance.
  • Fully Integrated fridges – these appliances use the same paneling as your other presses, cabinets and appliances.
  • Freestanding fridges - these are the most common type of fridge and do not use panelling to integrate with the other cabinetry. These include the American style fridges.
  • Built-in fridges– these fridges must match the depth of your cabinets so they can be installed flush. Ideal for consideration during a new build or kitchen remodeling.

The biggest contributing factor to the type or style of fridge you have is the space you have to work with.

What other features should I look out for?

Here are some features to look out for if you are struggling to decide between two models of fridge.

  1. Frost-free fridge -This will make cleaning your fridge much easier and items won’t get stuck the ice that has collected in the appliance. This also means the air in the fridge is circulated more evenly giving a consistent temperature around your fridge.
  2. The number of shelves -Do you tend to buy large bulky items or have bottles that need to stand up in the fridge? The number of shelves can limit the number of larger items you store in the fridge.
  3. Climate zones -Some newer fridges now can offer different temperatures in different zones of the fridge.
  4. Ice makers and water dispensers -For added convenience, fridges are now coming with ice makers and dispensers as well as a water cooler.
  5. Noise -This might be hard to discern in the showroom but a quick scan through some reviews might tip you off to which brands make more noise than others.
  6. Wine rack For wine enthusiasts it’s possible to buy a fridge with built-in wine racks. Equally, most fridges now come with flexible shelving options meaning you can adjust the space to cater for extra bottles of wine if you are throwing a party. We also stock stand-alone wine coolerswhich can become a feature piece in any modern kitchen.

Should you buy a fridge freezer?

When it comes to the popularity of cooling appliances:

Most of the consideration tends to go into the fridge section of the appliance.

Here are some features to consider when buying a fridge freezer.

Large American Style Fridge Freezer
  • Size– your freezer operates better when it’s full. If there is just you and another person using the appliance you won’t need a large freezer compartment. For families, a fridge freezer unit split almost equally between the fridge and freezer makes the most sense.
  • Frost-free freezer – these appliances prevent a build-up of ice by defrosting approximately every day. The internal freezer temperature does not change by more than two degrees, meaning your food will continue to be preserved. Frost-free freezers can also prevent freezer burn. This occurs when food placed is not wrapped properly and comes in contact with the drawers or walls of the appliances. Wrapping food in tin foil or in sealed plastic bags or containers will also prevent freezer burn.
  • Energy rating – As mentioned above, this rating tells, the estimated energy consumption on a scale comparable to other similar appliances and an estimated yearly energy consumption that you can use to calculate how much the appliance will add to your electricity bill.

Is there a charge for delivery?

We offer flexible delivery options;

  1. Large item deliveries – A flat fee of €24.99 will cover the delivery of large appliances, no matter how many products you purchased.
  2. Small item delivery -Our small item delivery service operates nationwide five days a week (Mon - Fri, excluding bank holidays) and costs €5.99.
  3. Next-day delivery -This is available in selected areas. Simply choose your delivery date during the checkout process.
  4. Nationwide delivery -Your purchases are guaranteed to be delivered nationwide within five working days.
  5. Online Click & Collect -This is a free service available in 23 locations nationwide free of charge.

Does DID provide an installation service?

Yes, we are delighted to offer professional installation services of all large electrical appliances.

Will you recycle my old appliance?

When we deliver your new appliance, we will take away all old appliances free of charge and dispose of them at the appropriate WEEE centre.

WEEE Recycling for Electrical Appliances

Now you have all the information why not check out our extensive range of fridges.

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